Celestial Gravitation
by SpaceisforStars
Summary: In the original universe's summer war, evil reigned over good. Two shinigami with the power to make a universal 'reset' give soul society another chance. But when things begin to spiral out of hand, what will ensue? 16th chapter up.
1. Chapter 1: Super Nova

First story, review if you wish, if you don't like it, not my problem :)) I may switch point of views from time to time, but it will either be to narrator or a character to show other occurrences [that are important] to the story line.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

Fifty years.

Fifty long years, might I add.

I have been wandering this town throughout the freezing cold winters, the tourist attraction of a summer, and all the in-betweens; though I haven't thought to move on. Perhaps I can't.

When I was younger my mother told me this story about angels who come to take dead people to heaven. As I grew older my faith in that statement lessened. But now, a weird feeling in my gut told me that those angels not coming to me is the only reason why I'm still here. Then again, another feeling told me that something would be coming; soon.

I've never seen any other soul around town; so that only aided my belief in the fact that the angels missed me. Then again, it apparently is rare for deaths to occur here in Montauk, I guess it goes to show how one-in-a-million odds play out.

"_Hey guys!" _The day seemed so innocent, as was I, a 17-year-old girl in the 1960's.

_A few friends of mine decided to hang out along the eastern most point in New York, big mistake. _

"_Graciela, over here!" They were in the shadow of the Montauk lighthouse, said shadow obscured their smirks._

"_Alright Gracie, you're up, spin the bottle!" When it landed on my friend, Chris, he smiled at me. We walked over to the point hand in hand. Multiple 'awww's' were heard from my other friends; but Chris and I paid them no mind._

"_So I heard that you like me?" I started, in a flirty manner._

"_Oh really? Because I heard that you, like me," Chris said with a gorgeous smile._

"_Ya know," we started to lean in towards each other. He placed his hands on the small of by back while I wrapped my arms around his neck. My gut twisted, this felt too familiar. But of course, with my naivety, I brushed it off as nervous butterflies._

"_What?" He said in a whisper. Our foreheads now touched and he moved in even closer. So close, that our breathing mingled and created a slight wind passing by our mouths._

"_You're going to be my first kiss," I said with a sweet smile._

"_I'm sorry," he said before our lips could collide._

_Before I knew it, I was falling through the air. Chris held a smug look on his face and when the rest of my group of friends came over; they all high fived him._

_At once, Stacy and Lucille called, "Let's see how well you can swim, you're so good at everything else!" Venom dripped off of their every last word. _

_To put it lightly, my life flashed before my eyes on the long fall from the cliff into the seas. It was a short one and not very eventful, but I was strangely satisfied with the way it turned out. Again, the feeling in my gut showed itself; for some reason it made me relax and think that everything. Perhaps that's what cause me to feel so satisfied._

_Then my thoughts drifted to my parents. My mom and dad were always there for me. Sure they struggled, but did what they could so that I was always happy. In truth, they were the best parents anyone could ever ask for. I shed a tear at the fact I had to leave them, I just wish I could have said goodbye. _

_I laid on the rocks for around an hour after that. My back broke and the excruciating pain rippled throughout my body. As all my blood soaked out, my mind began to reel. I kept thinking about why, why on Earth would my own friends betray me like so? Then it hit me._

_Jealousy. _

_My friends did this because they were jealous of me._

To this day I still don't understand why they were, but that thought in the back of my head must have been what kept me bound to this spot. The simple fact of not understanding.

Years flew by and left me to wander around town aimlessly. Each year I watched yet another link on my chain erode; much like the cliffs of Montauk themselves.

Giving up on my trip down memory lane, some unknown force gave me the idea to walk into town; so I did. I always found it interesting to watch nightlife in Montauk.

Halfway there, just past the sign for Hither Hills, I heard the strangest noise. There was no other way to describe it but as if a zipper was forcibly ripped open. I turned my head to look for the source of the sound. When I would the source I stared in horror as the ugliest thing in my life crawledout. Slowly, the thing pulled out a leg one at a time. It was almost as if it was mocking me.

Thanks to my common sense, or lack thereof, I didn't bother moving. I was far too intrigued about the monster. Apparently, I intrigued it as well and when the thing laid its eyes upon me, it let out the loudest, shrillest, nails-on-chalkboard-ish screech I have ever heard.

Three words flashed through my mind, inhuman, scary, and some other force told me to run.

So I did just that.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~* _

_'I wonder what's going on. It's nearly midnight and Yamamoto soutaicho called an emergency meeting. Could it be Aizen again?'_ Toshiro Hitsugaya thought to himself.

He used shunpo to speed towards the Squad One barracks as quickly as he could. Though this occurrence will prove to be more serious than any of the other taicho's or fukutaicho's had previously believed.

Yamamoto soutaicho basically barged through the doors, "all captains and lieutenants plus seats three through five report to the world of the living; immediately. Aizen, most likely, has sent over 1,000 hollows throughout the world. Unohana, if you would please remain in the vicinity of seireitei to heal any wounded that could be sent back. Any unseated members of the squads can be selected to help out Unohana. My squad will stay here incase Aizen's real intentions is too lure us away from seireitei. That leaves the remaining 11 squads to separate and move out. Squads, two, three and five head to the continent of Asia. Six and seven head to Europe, eight and nine to Africa, 10, 11 and 12 to the United States and squad 13 to South America. There are more hollows centralized around the east coast, west coast and major cities of the United States than the rest of the world. Those squads without taichos take seats three through six. Move out."

With the final word, all taichos went to the sekaimon gates for the predetermined destinations. The fukutaichos went to gather seats 3 to 5 and sent chosen unseated members to Unohana-taicho. All other members were left unaware, and most likely; still asleep.

Within five minutes seireitei was quiet, the consonance resonated off the walls and barriers. The serious mood and tension of the matter, however, never suppressed.

* * *

_*~Graceful melody~*_

I didn't scream for that would waste too much air. I just ran, afraid for the tourists and the possibility that they could get harmed in any way. I ran back towards where I came from but no matter how many side streets I took, or how many national parks or camp grounds I ran through; somehow, the thing managed to stay nearly 100 feet behind me at all times. Once I reached the lighthouse though, I realized it might be too late for me. So I did what any reasonable, scared out of their mind teenager would do; I threw stuff and screamed. I threw rocks, sticks, twigs; you name it. But all they did was pass through it and never inflicted any damage.

When it finally started to approach me, I glanced upwards at the full moon and stars. 'Now it's about time I joined the rest of the spirits up there.'

_'Don't think like that!'_ My conscious screamed at me, _'you can get out of here, alive too~ Just call my name, I know you know it, just say it, say it~'_ She chanted.

'Okay you are definitely not my conscious.' I thought back.

_'Course not, now why don't you show Mr. Big-tall- and gruesome what you can do?' _She chided.

'Mr. Who-what-where?'

'Look child~' so I did.

In front of me, had to have been the tallest man I have ever seen. At least 6'5" though I couldn't be sure. But his height isn't the most intimidating thing about him; it's the fact he is wielding a giant sword, and attacking the thing that was chasing me!

"Look! Kenny's going to save you~" A pink haired girl chirped up. Apparently she has been sitting next to me the whole time.

I jumped, "Kenny…?"

_'Say it!'_ I heard her call yet again, as a spark of realization hit me, hard.

"Bring upon the weight of the world_, _jūryoku!" The same feeling in my gut graced me with its presence, 'I know I've done this before.'

_'Finally!'_ After that one word, a sword the length of my arm began to materialize above me head.

By now the thing was defeated by Kenny, 'course I was too amazed to realize. Kenny and pinky were too, they started at me with curious gazes; but I paid them no mind. When it finished materializing, I was able to see what it looks like.

It has a black hilt and a swirl of what looks like diamonds around the end of the hilt to the blade, in a milky way like design. There, some of the 'stars' spread out until there was nothing but the eerie, metallic white, glow surrounding the blade.

As gorgeous and pure as the blade is, I was immediately distracted by the fact of how much pressure I was really under. It seemingly radiated from Kenny, but the strange feeling told me that it was because of me as well.

I fell to my knees, the sword sheathed itself and attached around my waist in a light belt. The last thing I saw was Kenny's sadistic smile fade to a shocked one.

It all faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2: Implosion

This chapter is going to be pretty short, sorry.  
I need to set things up for the next chapter which will seem, after this, extremely long and antagonizing.  
Anyway, along with the story.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

* * *

_*~Frozen Harmony~*_

"Matsumoto, remind me again. Why are we going to the fourth division?" It was well past sun rise, most of the seireitei having received absolutely none of the desired sleep thanks to last nights hollow fiasco.

"We're going there because a girl was found and apparently she has very strong reiatsu," Matsumoto said, energetically as ever.

"There are plenty of girls with strong reiatsu in seireitei already, what's so special about this one?" I asked; dubious. I stopped walking and got ready to turn around and leave should I feel the need to.

_'Which should be very soon…'_ Hyourinmaru added with a light chuckle.

"She's pretty much your height," is what Matsumoto finally responded with.

My only response was to shoot a glare that could turn any normal subordinate's bones into ice. But of course this wasn't the case with Matsumoto, since she's... well; Matsumoto. All she did was scratch the back of her head and grin sheepishly while shifting her weight from foot to foot. Not too long after, she finally shunpo'd away.

'Pretty much my height, what was that supposed to mean anyway? Shorter than me, taller than me? What if she's an enemy? No...Yamamoto soutaicho wouldn't have allowed that. What if she has always been a spirit, Hyourinmaru? Then would the legend be true? Could the spirit be embodied in a human and just dormant once that host becomes a spirit? Great, now I have this unnamed girl on my mind!'

_'Sleep Toshiro, those legends surely aren't true,' _but for some reason I felt like Hyourinmaru was lying to me. Some unnamed force, much like the girl, told me that this girl would prove to be special.

Hyourinmaru's voice made the feeling disappear though, and I concentrated on him once more, _'this lack of sleep is making you paranoid. Rest, and believe me, you need it quite desperately,'_ he suggested.

I grunted in agreement before returning to my division's barracks for some well deserved sleep.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~* _

I awoke to find myself laying on a gurney in what looked like a doctors office or hospital room. As I attempted to sit up, a woman with purple eyes, but I couldn't be certain, and hair in braids that came around her chin and down the front of her body; walked up to me.

"Please rest, your own reiatsu combined with Kenpachi's both put too much pressure on you so suddenly. It nearly put you in a coma. Thankfully he brought you back here and for now the area is sealed off so no spiritual energy can get through while you're recovering," the woman said with a sweet smile and caring tone. A wave of nostalgia hit me like a ton of bricks; this woman reminds me of my mother.

After a minute of trying to to process what she said, as well as suppressing any old memories, I realized none of the words, or people mentioned, were familiar.

"What is reiatsu, who is Kenpachi and most importantly; where am I?" I finally responded with. I probably gave off the impression that I'm a little slow, but that was the least of my worries right now.

"You're in seireitei, and don't worry, all will be explained when you fully recover. So please, rest."

"A-alright." I stuttered as I laid my head back down. I was more tired than I originally believed. So as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out in a matter of seconds.

_'Graciela,' _again with the voice!_ 'Graciela, open your mind.' _I heard a voice call again.

'Open my mind… how?'

_'Just relax and focus on my voice._' The voice answered my thoughts.

'Okay…'

The voice began to hum a little tune to help me focus. As much as I thought it would be a hopeless cause, eventually a picture began to emerge as if I was opening my eyes.

I glanced at my surroundings to find that I was floating around a sea of stars. Off to my right was the typical sandy island with a palm tree you would find drawn on a kindergartener's sketch of the sea. But this was no simple palm tree, it was an elaborately giant weeping willow on a small patch of grassy soil; the roots falling out from the bottom and extending down as far as my eyes could reach. To my left was what looked to be a black hole, it was spinning, but was not taking in any stars or consuming any planets. I found it strange how it's gravity didn't hold any effect, but the awe of it all immediately canceled it all out. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such a place, so it led me to believe that everything happening to me; really isn't a dream.

In my awe, I completely neglected that fact that a mysterious voice called me here.

'_Boo!' _I screamed and jumped when the voice appeared right next to my ear.

_'Gotcha!' _The seemingly immature person sang back.

'Wait… person? Why is there another person here?'

'_I can answer that pretty easily. I am __Jūryoku, your zanpakuto.'_

_'_My zanpaku- what?' I said quickly.

_'You'll find out later,' _she immediately dismissed,_ 'now that I know we can connect; rest. I'll heal you and once that is finished we can get to know each other before I start to teach you. The others would have my head if I didn't let you heal first!"_

_'_Others? What others?' I questioned, starting to feel like a schizophrenic.

'_You will be informed in due time. Now close your mind, and ultimately this connection, so I can heal you. It could cause you more physical pain if I had to break this off myself. Now goodbye!' _

_'_Bye?' I pitched the end of the word a little higher making it sound like a question, but closed the connection right away. The same unnamed force that has ben following me around my whole life told me that the quicker I closed the connection, the faster my questions will be answered.


	3. Chapter 3: Gravity

Sorry for the really long wait for an update [haha that kinda rhymed] but any way.  
This is going to be an extremely long chapter, though I still wish you enjoy it, and it somewhat makes up for being late.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

'Hello? Jūryoku?' I called out, materializing in my... inner world, for lack of a better term.

_'Graciela! That was a fast rest.' _

'Yea, I guess I've always been able to recover pretty quick. Was that because of you?' I posed, subtly trying to get answers that were absolutely threatening to burst out of my mouth.

_'Now, now. You're getting ahead of yourself. We have to connect first,'_ my zanpakuto replied calmly.

'But aren't we already connected? Why else would I be here?' I asked, truly perplexed.

_'That was just mental connection. Even though I live inside and am a part of you, I perceive things from a different perspective then you do. Once we can connect emotionally as well as mentally, the physical bond can come through if I would ever need to take over for you.' _

'Okay, I think I get it now. So to start off, call me Gracie,' I offered her a warm smile, which she returned with a hug. I laughed at her antics but hugged back nonetheless.

_'If we are going to go on a nickname basis, then call me Ry,' _she said after we parted from the hug.

'So is this going to be like 20 questions or something?'

_'It can be whatever you want, there isn't any limit to what you want to say.'_

'Well, seeing as I don't really remember anything before kindergarten, how about I start with my first day of school?'

_'Sounds good to me.'_

So that's what I told her. From how scared I was on my first day, to the true experience of happiness when I won my first dance competition, to the hurt and pain of when my... friends, killed me. Ry sat there the whole time, laughing with me and comforted me the most when I broke down. After so many years alone it was nice to finally have some one to talk to, so I couldn't help the selfish urge of wanting to be comforted. Now even though I had a relatively short life; she made me go through every day, that I could remember, from each year. That was a lot of talking but she sat there listening and on multiple occasions when I wanted to stop, she urged me on; as if she was listening to a story from a book.. Seeing as time in my inner world doesn't exist, I could only estimate the hours it took to tell my whole story. However, Ry's is going to be on a whole different spectrum.

'Ry, now that you know about me and my, short, life. What was yours like?'

_'Oh wow… this might take a while are you sure you want to listen?' _

'Oh of course!' Oh.. did I sound too eager there? 'Don't get me wrong though, this isn't just so that you will tell me what the situation is,' I added defensively, 'I've been alone for so many years. Now that I have someone to talk to I want to be able to understand them. Ry, in a way you're becoming the big sister I never had.'

_'Ahw, Gracie!'_ Ry said as she came to give me a hug.

_'Okay, I'll tell you. But I can't guarantee that it will be interesting, but it will be long.'_

'Well I'm here to listen.'

_'It started maybe, 3,000 years ago. You see, I was never exactly human per se, but I was a spirit. There is a legend about me actually, I doubt that you have heard it seeing as you learned of seireitei mere days ago, but most there will recognize this. It is said that I am the spirit to visit you when you are sad or upset. You will recognize this feeling, as if the weight of the world is falling on you. Well in the legend I represent that weight._

_When your world is turned all around, _

_And you feel as if you're upside down,_

_She will come to bask in this._

_This goddess of sadness released on you,_

_The pain she will deliver you to. _

_Lethargic and slowly you will see,_

_That is is the way she wants you to be._

_The gravity push you will receive,_

_Is nothing more than her retrieve._

_To take the joy you once had known,_

_From each and every lovely bone. _

_Eventually the storm will clear,_

_and take with it every single fear._

_When the weight lifts and you are now set free,_

_You can return to what you want to be._

_'Yes my power does involve weight, but not sadness. Though my powers have been attributed to sadness through the delusion of generations past.'_

By the time Ry finished her history I was staring at her, mouth agape and eyes in shock.

_'What are you looking at me like that for?' _She sheepishly asked while holding back a cringe.

'I-I have a legendary zanpakuto?'

_'Yuppers~!' _I just about fainted.

Ry began laughing as she managed out, _'Though I am not the only one. There are three others actually but Yamamoto has them locked up somewhere. Their power too great, but I can tell you this, your powers have theirs combined with more.' _

I just about fainted again. Honestly, me a short 5'2" girl so inexperienced in everything, wielding powers stronger than 'the three.'

'Are the powers the same?'

_'Not exactly, see the basics of them are, but you won't be able to destroy any dimensions when your 'parts of a whole' are all together.' _

'That's comforting…' I said, as my face fell.

'Can you tell me how I will eventually unlock every aspect of my powers?' I threw out blindly once I realized that she would most likely answer my questions now that we talked for so long.

_'Well you are already 1/10th's of the way there. You can connect with me and that leads to being able to use and control my powers. That will lead you to the black hole over there,' _Ry said while pointing over her left shoulder, _'then that will lead you to Ms. Weeping Willow over here then to the five outsiders that unknowingly hold a part of you within them.' _

'What do you mean by unknowingly hold a part of me?'

_'I mean that they will be like keys that unlock different reactions from you, and the others, to cause your powers to develop. One of those keys though, unlocks more than just powers.'_

_'_Ugh, more cryptic messages, I thought that was done and over with?' I complained.

_'Nope, not yet!' _Ry giggled.

_'But now I do believe it is time to start training. With the level of connection we have and the self control and fast healing rates you posses you should be able to achieve this even quicker than my seven month estimate. Now do you remember what you said when we first connected?'_

_'_Bring upon the weight of the world_, _Jūryoku,' once again the sword materialized though this time some of the stars on the sword closest to the hilt had lit up a light blue. I gawked at my sword quizzically until Ry started laughing.

'What's so funny?'

_'Your face is priceless.'_ She managed to spit out through her laughing fit.

'Okay…' I replied, 'But why are some of the diamonds light blue?'

_'Oh that! Well like the blueshift in space, it stands for when two beings are drawn closer together. As you open more of the connections with your powers and myself, more of the stars on your sword will light up blue.'_

'Sweet.' I said, my eyes wide with admiration as my gaze shifted from my sword to Ry.

_'Now, let's begin with basic defense and offense.'_ She said as a copy of my sword materialized in her hand. _'You are dominant with what hand?'_

'I can use both, but my left hand is best.'

_'Hm… good, this should be interesting then. Okay, mimic my stance,' _she placed her left hand over her right gripping on the hilt towards the end, feet a little more than shoulder's length apart, with her left arm crossing over her body to protect the front. The sword was angled slightly towards her left.

_'See what I am doing? Feet apart for balance, although you should know about that Ms. Dancer. Arms crossed over to the right so that is someone were to attack from that side there would be a faster reaction time to block, and the sword angled left to gather more power as you swing it down. Now I want you to attack me. Seeing as you are new with this, I wont get hurt.'_

My eyes widened as she asked me to attack her, 'But I can't! What if something happens?' she stared at me incredulously, 'I…I'm not good with a sword… um…' by then Ry was staring at me with one eyebrow raised.

_'You finished making lame excuses?'_

'Yea…'

_'Alright then, let the games begin.'_

I jogged over to her with my sword still held the way she told me, it felt slightly awkward and wrong in my hands as I attacked. She parried the attack while shouting different pointers, _'Adjust your hands, don't keep your arms so stiff, relax and let it feel natural!' _

Each time she blocked I came at her again, strategizing where I should attack, observing her weaknesses and hesitations as well. This exercise was progressing smoothly, within what seemed to me as mere minutes, I felt more comfortable and natural handling my sword.

Eventually I managed to nick her right hip, _'stop,'_ she ordered.

_'Are you sure you have never handled a sword before? You are excelling at this and the natural talent you have from us is coming through. Maybe this will take even shorter then I realized it would before. Whatever, now that you managed to cut me; offense training is over for now. I hope you were paying attention to the way I was defending because that is what is next. I'll start off slow but will get progressively faster until I manage to nick you. Don't worry though because after this you can rest and heal yourself.'_

_'_Okay,' I replied rather hesitantly, but blocked anyway.

At first Ry began slowly, using the same pattern of striking until I managed to block them no problem. She upped the ante and put more power behind each attack, at first they pushed me back but again I began to get a hold of it. When she was able to cut me on the arm, I believe that she was going close to her full power.

_'Very impressive Gracie. You can read people's actions very well and it was because of that and the natural abilities with swordsmanship you seem to posses that allowed me to attack you almost full strength. Though it would be different if we both were in shikai or bankai, or if you could flash step…'_

I stared at her with a what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about look on my face, eventually she caught on.

_'Oh! Sorry I'm rambling but that will all be things you will learn later. After you rest we will work on the control of your reiatsu and flash step. That's always fun!'_ She added, sounding more excited as she went along.

I giggled a little before I said, "see you soon Ry!"

* * *

_*~Frozen Harmony~*_

"The meeting is adjourned," head-captain Yamamoto called and all the captains stood out and began to file out of the room. I shunpo'd back to my office to complete the mountain of paperwork I found underneath Matsumoto's desk earlier this morning.

"Taicho~!" Matsumoto called, accenting each vowel.

"Unless you are here to help me do **your** paperwork, I suggest you go."

"Oh you're no fun. Lighten up for once! I just came here to ask if the meeting was about that girl? I hear she is in a coma now!"

I turned to her, shocked but not showing it more than in the form of one my eyebrows raised, "how did you know?"

"Just gossip, where do you think I've been?"

_'Getting drunk,' _Hyourinmaru added mentally.

"Any way I heard that whenever someone, even Captain Unohana, attempts to approach the girl a kind of barrier forms around her with very dense spiritual pressure. It makes you wonder…" with that Matsumoto left and I sighed.

'Is she purposely trying to make me think about the girl again?'

The weird gut feeling told me that is exactly her reasoning, but now knowing this; I made a point not to let the girl cross my mind.

_'You know you think it's an interesting case,' _Hyourinmaru added his input.

I merely brushed his comment off and started back up on the paperwork.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

I honestly could not have guessed how long it took me to catch Ry in that game of tag we just played. Of course she responded with, _'wow that was so fast, you're a natural… _bla bla bla.' I swear she is taking this whole training thing pretty lightly even though it sounded life or death to me.

_'Now one thing I need to tell you before we start with training your reiatsu.'_

'And that is?' I replied a little bored.

_'Well, I'm not entirely sure how to put it but I can try... Well you see, every living thing gives of a type of pressure no matter how small. But in your case, you give off none at all. The only time other soul reapers or humans that are sensitive to this pressure can sense you is when you actively allow yourself to crate the pressure. Other wise, it will always be hidden, unless of course if you're in bankai or shikai; because then it starts swirling around you and with your powers-'_

'Ry!' How does she even say that much on one breath?

_'Ak! Sorry, I guess I started to ramble again.'_

She guesses? I dropped it when a new question entered my mind.

'Then how do you expect me to control it?'

_'You already trained it to!' _Ry replied merrily, _'when learning flash step you concentrate it into one region of your body. The only difference is that when you practice with a sword, you channel it into the attacks. But like I said before, I'm no good with explaining things, to truly get it we need to train so that you learn from experience.'_

I shot Ry a look of utter disbelief.

_'Alright, I give up! I'll start training you to learn the other releases. You know one of them, bring upon the weight of the world… well that isn't the only one. There is one other, your shikai. To be honest, I never thought that you would learn as fast as this, but that just means you'll have more time to legitimately master your bankai~!' _

'So what do I need to say?'

_'I can't tell you. Figure it out for yourself!' _With that, Ry disappeared.

Okay, so I have two options, rest again, or figure this shikai thing out. After all of two seconds I had my answer; figure this thing out. Ry said that it is the second release for the sword, so might as well call the first.

'Bring upon the weight of the world Jūryoku!' Part of a third diamond/ star was lighting up, so I must be getting somewhere with this.

I looked around for a while and decided to sit down under the weeping willow on the random patch of floating land. I sat indian style and laid my sword across my lap. I began thinking back to everything Ry has told me over the course of however long we have been training for. Every single word, every conversation and every move she made I analyzed and re-analyzed, but still no connection.

I was becoming impatient as well as sick and tired of waiting for this new release to dawn upon me. Everything else happened at such a fast pace so why not this? Wait, maybe that has something to do with it? Finally my train of thought was getting me somewhere.

I changed my position, for my legs were starting to fall asleep. Now I was laying on my back with my word on my stomach and parallel to my body.

I thought back to the poem that is her legend, 'lethargic and slowly you will see, that is is the way she wants you to be,' I said out loud.

Maybe that's it, slowly I am seeing she wants me to figure this out on my own, what came next again? 'The gravity push you will receive, is nothing more than her retrieve.'

Gravity push? Could that be her push in the right direction in this case?

I continued, 'to take the joy you once had known, from each and every lovely bone.'

Taking joy... well I was happy before when thing were going relatively fast; perhaps it relates to that.

'Eventually the storm will clear, and take with it every single fear.'

Well when this is over it's taking away my worry, could worry and fear be the same thing?

'When the weight lifts and you are now set free, you can return to what you want to be.'

Wait a second… 'RY!'

She materialized in front of me, 'what I called before was my shikai, wasn't it? I just didn't know what to do with it then, right? It didn't work then, right? When you tell me to 'release' it, I never really needed to say the whole line, didn't I? Having me say the line, bring upon the weight of the world Jūryoku, was just you making sure I wasn't capable of using it yet, correct? 'You're doing so well, you learn so fast!',' I used air quotes to emphasize my anger, 'was just a distraction so that you could make me wait longer, no? So could you just answer this for me, why do you not want me learning to use my powers as fast as you say I can?'

_'Eh…heh, to be honest I never thought you would make that connection that fast…'_

By then I was completely pissed and the third diamond on my sword lit up fully.

'You what?' but my anger was soon dissipated, for Ry was clapping and laughing. Did I ever mention that Ry's laugh is contagious? Well, it is.

When our little laughing fit was over I realized what happened when the third star lit up. My normal skirt and short sleeved shirt turned into this robe like thing, that I believe is called a kimono; that was a light blue. It appeared to have designs on it but I assumed that like the rest of the stars on my sword, those had to light up before being revealed as well.

_'If this was anywhere other than this inner world, you would have seen the true display of your power. You pretty much just gained the ability to release your reiatsu. Go ahead, concentrate on it; and let it go. But be sure to keep control over it.'_

Ry's suggestion seemed innocent enough, so I tried it. I concentrated on the thought of reiatsu; since I couldn't see it. Eventually it felt like small grains of sand flew around me, I also felt like something was exploding from my body, but the control was still there so once it got a little trippy; I put my iron grip back on it.

_'Now that you have that connection, my time training you is over. I'll still be here though if you ever wanna chat. Ms. Dank, dark and miserable. Your turn!'_

**'Finally,'** I heard a voice call.

I got this feeling in my gut that this was not going to go as smoothly as it was when working with Ry. Speaking of which, where did she materialize off to? I turned around and there, in the middle of the black hole was a person who could have been my twin. Even though she has black eyes with purple flecks instead of my normal light brown with gold flecks; I was basically looking at myself.

_**'You ready to get down to business?' **_She asked.

I could only nod sheepishly while I thought one thing, ah…crap.


	4. Chapter 4: Black Hole

First off I would like to thank xLilim for reviewing not one, but all three chapters so far. It got me so pumped I'm going to try to finish this chapter really soon. Hahah thanks again!  
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

My doppelganger came straight at me, **'fight me,'**_** s**_he commanded.

I did not comply though, I dodged as much as I could, though that wasn't a lot seeing as my right arm and cheek got nicked.

**'Fight!' **She screamed this time and brought her blade down so quickly I was barely able to dodge.

'No!' I responded with the same tone and harshness. She hesitated for a slight second allowing me to take a hold of her sword's hilt.

**'You do not have the right to touch this sword. I have not deemed you worthy,' **she sneered with more venom than a black mamba.

'It's my sword to begin with!' I yelled to her.

When both of us calmed down, I stared right at her; 'then what do I need to do?' I asked earnestly.

When no answer was provided, I tried again, 'I was able to gain and train my power with Jūryoku because we made a connection mentally, connections apparently are key and I wont fight until we can achieve that.'

**'Fight me, sword to sword with your all, we will connect if you manage to defeat me,'**her eyes became soft while saying these things and I became relieved, **'go rest, before I change my mind and whoop your ass right now.'**

She threw in a small smirk before I nodded and dematerialized from my inner world; heading off to a well needed sleep.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

"It has been decided," Head Captain Yamamoto said regally, "when this girl finally wakes, she will be staying in division 11 with Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and Vice Captian Yachiru Kusajishi, under the supervision of the prior."

Several gasps filled the room and a few started to argue, Yamamoto just dismissed them and called, "that is enough, this meeting has concluded."

'For some reason, I figured that would happen,' Hitsugaya thought to himself when he exited the meeting room with Matsumoto in tow.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

**'Call me Ella,' w**as what I got as I rematerialized in my inner world.

I barely had any time to draw my sword as Ella began to attack.

I suppose I will fight as long as I can without releasing my sword, try to wear her down. Attacks came from everywhere, left, right, above, behind but my speed seemed to increase the more I became accustomed. Eventually I was swinging my own attacks and not just blocking.

Ella smiled a sadistic smile, _**'y**_**ou've adjusted right on schedule, time to turn it up a notch.'**

Ah, crap.

Hm that seems to by my favorite phrase lately, no mind wondering, pay attention Gracie! I mentally scolded myself. It was definitely harder to catch up to her and adjust this time around but I managed to do it. But not without getting cut a few times by Ella's merciless swipe. I was beginning to breath heavily, but the good sign is; so is Ella.

**'Consume all, Burakkuhōru. Now witness the release you will learn with my additional powers.' **

With no other choice, I called, 'bring upon the weight of the world, Jūryoku.'

My swords diamonds lit up and my clothes changed into the light blue kimono. Ella's clothes changed as well, into the same kimono as myself. Just some of the stars were filled up, though they were in the shape of a vortex and a dark blue that was almost black.

My swords coloring changed slightly as well, where the swirl near the hilt is; the same dark black-blue color was present instead of the normal sky blue.

**'This should be a good one,'** Ella said sadistically, as she reared herself to attack.

Though being, somewhat, used to her movements already; I could tell she was going to jump to the right and slice upwards. Though as if she could tell that I knew what she was going to do, she quickly shifted her position and attacked from the left though still with an upward swing.

I blocked and countered, slowly increasing the pressure upon her. Although it appeared to have no effect, I realize now that looks can be deceiving.

**'Ugh, that's it!'** Ella exclaimed before she seemingly disappeared.

I heard a small noise to my left, as I turned Ella reappeared, 'what the? How did you?'

**'Due time, child. All in due time,'**Ella continued attacking with the weird shunpo, each time she appeared a slight sound was made, that seemed to be the weakness of this method for attack.

I attacked and was going to graze her right side as she stuck her sword out and disappeared, I paused; waiting for the noise. I heard it from above and before I even could comprehend I shunpo'd above her exiting form and kicked my feet down. I landed on Ella's back and she fell to the ground, I applied the gravitational pressure Ry showed me, even heavier to keep her there and the help me get down to her level faster. I landed standing up pointing my sword right at her neck, ready to decapitate if need be.

**'I see that you have defeated me. Very well, I believe that you are worthy of the sword and my power. Call what I called before to release. With this power you only have to call it one time, and the little 'disappearing act' you saw earlier will always be in effect, but for any other attack, the incantation is recuired.' **

'Consume all Burakkuhōru.' I could feel it, the power flooding through me. It felt good, but I also knew that I could not abuse any of it; my morals would not let me.

'So Ella, what does burakkuhōru mean? I know that jūryoku means gravity, does your have to do with space? What about the vortex on your kimono?'

**'Very observant, Graciela. I am beginning to like you.'**

'Ph? Yu didn't like me before?' I joked.

**'After you rest I will show you what my true powers are,'**_** s**_o she is telling me what I saw before wasn't even her true power? That would make sense as to why only two stars lit up, instead of three like with Ry.

**'But burakkuhōru does mean something. It means black hole, that is what the vortex on my, and now your, kimono is. That is also the reason you have the black hole off to your left, after all three of us are assembled those will be the places you are most likely to find us.'**

'Cool,' was all I could manage to say. I finally realized how tired and worn I am and dematerialized before the smarting wound could cause me any more pain.

'Hey miss Ella!' I called.

**'Why are you so loud? Oh, and obnoxious?'**

'I only get like this when I'm excited, you should take it as a complement.

**'How exactly would that be a compliment to me?**'

'I'm excited to train with you!' I pointed out even louder; just to purposely get her annoyed.

**'Whatever,' **Ella dismissed, **'but I am going to show you what I actually am, after a day or so of training; basically whenever I deem you ready, we are going to fight again. I will not tell you the outcome if you lose, but if you win you are fully in control of my powers.' **

'Okay… but the cryptic message definitely helps oh so much,' I rolled my eyes sarcastically, 'honestly I don't get it. What's with you guys and cryptic messages?'

**'Imbecile.'**Ella muttered under her breath.

'What was that?'

**'Nothing!'**

'I thought so,' I mumbled the rest under my breath in fear of being beaten, 'Ms. Bipolar.'

**'What was that?'**

'Nothing, nothing. Nothing at all.'

'**I thought so.'**I laughed as Ella suppressed her own, **'okay, enough nonsense, now; we train.'**

As if on queue Ry appeared, _'hey guys!'_

**'What are you doing here?'**Ella sneered.

_'I only wanted to watch. I love seeing your release!'_

_**'**_**Okay…' **Ella and I said at the same time.

**'Moving on…' **

When Ella released her form I could sense her- our really- spiritual pressure building, as if she was preparing for something. When her spiritual pressure became almost unbearable, Ella reached towards the back of her head and pulled forward. There was a blast of raw energy and it increased by at least tenfold. When I regained my composure I was amazed at what stood in front of me.

Ella completely changed, her kimono now all the dark black with the black hole the light blue it used to be. Around her waist, a pure white belt was added, greatly contrasting with the dark colors. The sword was the same, but a dense energy spiraled around it, though the dark color of it was barely noticeable.

I looked up and noticed that her hair was different. Her trademark hair style stayed the same, but not her hair was longer; down at least to her hips. What dramatically gave Ella a mysterious edge are the side bangs that grew into place. Behind those bangs, it looks like a white ribbon was acting as a head band.

I stepped towards her and on closer inspection I realized that the 'ribbon' wasn't a ribbon. Extremely perplexed, I went over to her and touched it. Bone, bone hard as steel. But it looked like the top of her head wasn't the only place where the bone appeared. As I moved around her in a slow circle, I noticed that the bone continued down from the top of her head and split in two at the nape of her neck; which is also acting as a pony tail holder keeping the pigtails in place. There were small dark blue markings along the top of the bone closest to her bangs of small swirls; I am presuming that they are also to represent black holes.

When I finally finished observing I stood in front of Ella and posed, 'what are you?'

**'I am your 'dark side' as some would call it. Basically I'm your inner hollow.'**

'Hollows are?'

**'A soul that doesn't receive soul burial, basically. But there are different classifications, I believe I would be classified as vasto lorde, but I cannot be sure.'**

_**'**_Wait, then how are you in me? Ry said she was a spirit in soul society, is that where you came from as well?'

**'No. Hollows are from Hueco Mundo. To be honest, I have no idea why I was summoned to become a part of you. Normally people go through hollowfication to become a vizard, what you would be classified as. I believe it would have something to do with you being the el-' **Ry cut off Ella by placing a hand over her mouth.

I couldn't tell if Ry said anything to Ella but she was issuing a warning with her eyes. This is actually the first time I have seen Ry deadly serious.

To put it simply, this side of her scared me.

When Ry removed her hand, Ella spoke bashfully, yea Ella was being bashful; what has this world come to?

**'Sorry about that. I almost gave away some top of the line information.' **I shot her a questioning glance, but shrugged it off.

'So how can I do this?' Whoa, deja vu.

**'Well I need to dematerialize so that you can harness the power. It should take you quite some time to get it so don't get frustrated and give up. If you want to rest now then go ahead, but when you come back I wont be here, Ry will supervise for you.'**

'Okay, can do. But how do I make the transformation?'

**'Like you said before, it's all connected.'**

Today is the third day I've been at this, according to Ry; but still no break through. In my frustration I have called out to Ella a few times but got no response other than Ry telling me to calm down and that I have to do this on my own. I still have no idea what she meant by 'it's all connected.' Well of course it is! We are all one person, well one mind seeing as we all share this inner world. I picked up my sword and tried again, I built my spiritual pressure, after of course releasing both Jūryoku and Burakkuhōru. When my spiritual pressure reached its peak I reached behind my head and pulled forward. Like the first trillion times I tried producing the hollows bone, my spiritual pressure rose then sharply fell after I got my hopes up like it was going to work.

'Hey guys? I'm going to go take a rest now, I'll be back in a little. I'll be thinking but please don't listen in or offer any advice, I want to figure this out myself.'

When I finally felt like I was alone in my head I decided to do two things. The first one, I opened my eyes to truly observe where I am. It was white, like a hospital room, I'm still on the gurney under the white sheets, though not in my old clothes any more. It seems that when the kimono appeared in my inner world, it appeared here as well. I turned my head towards the left, there were two chairs and a desk, to my right there was a wall which I almost hit my nose into; and behind my head a window. I sat up the tiniest bit to see out of it better. Once I looked it appeared to be either dawn or dusk, I hope the latter though; then no one would be coming in to check on me. I checked around the room another time and found myself content with the feeling like I am being taken care of very well in this place.

Finally at peace that seireitei is as wonderful a place that Ry said it is, I shut my eyes and allowed the blackness to take me to the depths of my mind.

So just building my spiritual pressure apparently is not working, I'm not getting any connections out of it. When Ella said it is all connected, what exactly did she mean?

Well yes we are all connected all of our powers, our states of mind; as long as the connections are made between each person inhabiting the inner world. I have three stars that lit up on my sword from when I worked with Ry. Plus the two more that lit up while working with Ella. If my calculations are correct then there is still another star to light up before all the connections are made between Ella and I.

When I first was able to activate my shikai, while consciously knowing about it, I was mad at Ry. Does that mean I need to be mad at Ella to change into my hollow? No, with Ry it wasn't just the anger but I was mentally reaching out to her, for her mind. She left me like Ella has been doing, maybe it's the mental chain between Ella and I that I haven't connected so use the powers.

Eureka! If I reach out to Ella's mind then it should work!

'Might as well give it a try,' I stated out loud as I appeared in my inner world.

I began building my spiritual pressure when Ry appeared, when it was finally high enough I reached out to Ella.

There was a clicking noise, almost as if someone picked up a phone, and Ella spoke, **'so you finally figured it out. Good job bud.'**

I nodded my head and reached my hand back, when I pulled forward I could feel the bone forming on my head and the swirling of my reiatsu around me. When the swirling died down I looked at my robes. They were the dark blue with the light blue vortex on the left shoulder. I reached up and felt my hair, longer now, and the bangs that I just acquired.

Ella spoke to me, although it was in my head I could have sworn she is standing right in front of me, **'from now on I cannot show you how to make the moves, I need to explain them to you like this. With Jūryoku's powers you control gravity within the space you determine and by physically wounding your opponent you can collapse a lung, shatter a bone beyond recognition; basically just cause physical wounds. With** **Burakkuhōru you can teleport as you saw before, but mentally you can attack a person. You remember the release, or am I mistaken?'**

'No I remember, it's: consume all Burakkuhōru.'

**'The consume part is what black holes do. They absorb all light, this is the reason that I am your dark side. The dark side of a persons mentality is where all dark and depressing thoughts are sent to. I am going to be blunt with you, but the effects of burakkuhōru's powers are horrible; very much like a black hole in most respects. When this power activates on someones mind it blocks out all light, which in a mind are good thoughts or memories. That person is then forced to relive any traumatizing and painful memories all while the vortex surrounds the person and physically cutting them up.'**

'Well that's a bit morbid…' I deadpanned.

Ry gave me a look that said what Ella said in my head, **'well- duh.'**

'I am also guessing that now I need to find someone to test this on as a form of practice?'

Again, Ry gave me a look saying basically the same thing.

'So I am supposed to wake up and to anyone that is around me say, 'hi I'm Graciela and I need to use you to practice my hollows skills that will make you re-live your worst memories. Oh did I leave out the fact it will shred your body too? Oops.' Yea that's how you make friends.'

Ella, Ry and myself cracked up laughing.

When the fit was done and over with Ella was the first to speak up, **'no, you will be practicing on Ry.'**

_'Yea! 'Cause I'm a part of you I won't get mentally or physically injured. But I will be able to tell if the attack landed on __target and if the winds would be fast enough to pierce skin.' _

'Ry how do you manage to pull that off?'

_'Hn?'_ Was her intelligent reply.

'Be so happy while saying such morbid things and hearing what Ella said in my head?'

_'Eh it's a gift,' _I rolled my eyes at this as a response. Besides, she can probably hear Ella like I can.

**'Now Gracie I want you to sleep soon. You just released your hollows powers and your appearance changed as well so physically your body has some catching up to do. This should only take around a day but if you are awake during it, or working with us, you will feel the pain.' **

I gaped at her. Everything she just said was, relatively, morbid, how does everyone in my mind, excluding me of course, have the ability to be completely giddy while talking of such morbid things! Actually no, it's like those scary movies that have cute little dolls killing people, it's basically the same paradox.

**'You know we can hear you? Thinking in your own mind is talking out loud here, remember?'**

'Ah crap.'

* * *

_*~Frozen Harmony~*_

"Why does Yachiru get to have the new girl in her squad?" Matsumoto whined out loud for what seems to be the umpteenth time today. The pout never left her face either and thanks to this distraction, she got even less work done then usual!

At least when she's drunk she's away form me, but no; the whole day she has been whining into my ears.

"What Yamamoto Taicho says goes, that's it," I replied to her this time.

Though I would never admit this out loud, I was curious as to why that girl was staying with Kenpachi, normally my division gets the random people recovering from injuries.

"I wish we were going to get this girl. I could dress her up! She's so small like you Taicho~ You guys could make cute little babies and build a cute little house together! I could be the godmother and teach them all the wonderful things I would teach the girl if she was put in our division! Oh please Taicho can you have her come to our division, please!"

"Matsumoto," I said, the temperature in the room fell rapidly, "if you do not leave this room in ten seconds I will not be held accountable for my anger. Go!"

"Aye aye captain!" under three, she was out.

Now that Matsumoto was gone I can finish the rest of my paper work in silence. Oh how I cherish no noise.

Hyourinmaru chuckled in the back of my mind as I got back to work.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

**'Are you ready to fight?'** Ella posed to me.

I rolled my eyes at her. I complied with her over the train for a day then fight rule, so she could at least save the pointless question. What am I going to say? No. Yea right.

But what she wasn't aware of, is that I figured out her little ruse.

'We don't need to. Nor can we, physically any way.'

**'What makes you so sure of that? You could already be losing right now and not even know it, then I get to take over your body.'**

'I know because if you were serious over this whole thing you wouldn't have just told me the conditions if I lose; because you would just love to taunt me about it. Also you would have never stayed in my mind and said 'I have to explain you the moves like this,'' I replied with a more than smug look plastered on my face.

**'You may be correct about the fight being bogus,' **she admitted finally, **'but that does not mean I can't slap that look off your face.'**

'Try me,' I challenged.

_'Oh me too!' _Ry chimed in randomly.

An idea sparked through my mind quickly, and before I knew it I was heading towards Ry at an alarming pace, 'you're it,' I called when I punched her arm.

I just started an epic battle of tag.

**'Good job going for Ry. She cant teleport like us, you're getting better at finding the weaknesses in your opponents,' **Ella complimented.

I blushed and said, 'thank you, but I think we should go back, Ry looks like she's giving up.'

**'Hey Ry, forfeit?' **Ella asked, but I could tell where Ry was going to take this.

_'You forfeit? Oh alright!' _Ry retaliated as I mentally predicted.

I giggled a little as I took my seat under the giant weeping willow tree to watch the scene before me unfold.

Five minutes later the two of them were still at it. Randomly though Ry stopped talking and gaped at something behind me, Ella stopped shortly after and did the same thing. I turned my head back and jumped up, startled at whoever appeared behind me. When I finally got a good look at her, I can say quite honestly she is the most beautiful person I have ever seen in my life.

'My name is Celest, please call me that,' Not to mention but her voice was so melodic, and she was only speaking.

'Just being random, but you would probably make a wonderful singer.'

Celest laughed and replied, 'things like that is what make me like you, Gracie. We must set some ground information before I- all of us- can tell you what you truly are. Please release your sword, then your hollow.'

'Okay, bring upon the weight of the world Jūryoku!' the, now, familiar kimono appeared on my frame, 'consume all burakkuhōru.' I transformed and observed my sword once more. Two more stars were lit up, one presumably form finishing with Ella and now one from Celest.

'Good you have the necessary connections to fathom the information we have for and about you. Please, sit down. This is going to be quite a lot to take in.'

'Before we get to talking can I say a few things?'

The other three nodded their heads as I sat down.

'One, Celest you are really pretty. Two, you guys aren't going to talk all cryptically again are you? Lastly, three, oh great another surprise? I'm a shinigami, then a vizard, now what?'

Celest replied, speaking for all of them, 'thank you and we will be talking directly from now on. No more secrets and you can finally learn about what you truly are and the awesome powers you hold and will be developing.'

'Okay enough with the suspense can you just tell me already?' I asked fidgeting. God, how I hate suspense.

'Graciela the powers that you have are no joke, they have lately only thought to have been a legend. A prophecy to some people. Only the eldest of captains would be able to recall the prediction, 'when in great peril, a great power with be the salvation of all.' To the shinigami I am a true god, to you people from earth there are small references to me throughout history. You have heard of mother nature and how she controls all earth?'

'Of course!'

'Well Gracie, I believe that is what you can call me and with my powers you become the person to fulfill the prophecy. Simply, you are the true elemental.'


	5. Chapter 5: Elemental

This chapter wont just be in the inner world any more! [Huzzah] Time to wake up!  
Also a major curveball. Sorry if it isn't very realistic.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

'I-I'm what?' I asked, my mouth agape.

'The true elemental, you do understand what elements are, correct?'

'Yea, water, air, fire and earth,' Celest sighed and shook her head the tiniest bit.

'I cannot believe those are the only elements you have heard of.'

'Wait, you mean to tell me there are more than those four?'

'Of course! You harnessed the power of two already, spatial pressure and folds of the space time continuum.'

'Come again?' Ry and Ella shared a laugh at my dubious epression.

Celest heaved another sigh and began, 'spatial pressure is the gravitational forces you can control thanks to Jūryoku and with Burakkuhōru's powers you have not only your hollow but the little 'disappearing act' Ella pulled was the bending of space time resulting in a wormhole like transporter.'

'I have heard of things like that, they were developing a new science for that when I died. Recently when wondering around Montauk I heard others talking that it is a bad thing to do, that it could destroy our world somehow or another.'

'Those who say it is bad are arrogant, the way you time warp is not through forced methods, but another way. It involves entropy, which is the amount of disorder in a system such as heat. Now most if not all reaction give off some form of heat, that disorder attracts to your reishi, in turn increasing your power and using the entropy to power the warp. Essentially it decreases the entropy and stabilizes the world.'

'It's that important?' I asked amazing.

Celest nodded her head at me. So me, an apparently not so normal spirit, is single handedly responsible for the stability of the universe? Great. Guess that leaves me no chance but to warp, of course that can't be all bad.

'So that is why those spatial forms are elemental, because of the involvement with time and natural occurrences?'

'Correct. Those are not the only elements you can control, including the prior mentioned six there are four others, ten in total. Ice, lightning, sound and mind are the other four.'

'What do you mean by mind?'

'Let me explain the others before I move to mind, for it is the most important one. Fire, is the ability to summon fire through a command given when my powers are activated, please release them so I can show you.'

I let my mind connect to Celest's so that I could find the saying to release her powers, 'Grant thee the power of all, Haha naru shizen!' I called soon after.

Thank god that connecting with Celest didn't take another three days.

'Good, and incase you couldn't tell Haha naru shizen means mother nature.'

'I could have guessed that…' Not really, I thought.

'To release the fire element simply call, burn. Like withBurakkuhōru's time warp, you only need to call the release of the elements once to use them.'

'Burn.'

The nine stars on the sword began to glow a fiery red, I swung my sword and a trail of fire ensued. Holding my hand out I concentrated as much as I could to form a fire ball, it worked and I threw it with a smile.

**'Pyromaniac,'** Ella called.

I smirked at her then stopped the flow of fire, my blade returning back to normal.

'Good,' Celest said calmly.

'Now for the others, water is ripple, earth is gravel, air is wind, ice is freeze, lighting is shock, and sound is harmonize.'

'Ripple,' the stars on the blade turned a dark blue, as I spun my sword a whirlpool like vortex formed around it. I swung my sword and the whirlpool shot off in the direction I aimed in a spiral motion.

'Gravel,' the stars lit up a dark green, and as I moved my hands back and forth parts of the grassy area under the weeping willow tree were removed and levitated in the air.

_'O~h, that's cool,' _I heard Ry call from behind me.

'Wind,' some of the stars began to emit a white glow. I used my sword to create a gust of wind, sending the pieces of the ground shooting towards my imaginary target along with the, literally, piercing winds.

'Freeze,' the stars on my sword returned to the original light blue, the swirl near the hilt now discharging a thin layer of ice. It crept up the blade at a fast pace, once it was covered I summoned some water with my hand and it instantly began to freeze over. I molded the ball of ice into a dagger and threw it toward the bark of the tree. Once it hit I deactivated the ice and it melted away.

'That's definitely going to come in handy,' I commended offhandedly.

'Shock,' the stars emitted an eerie yellow glow and I could feel the balance of positive and negative electrons building on the surface of my sword. I swung downward with close to all my strength in a magnificent show and a large lightning bolt shot towards the area where my sword was pointed.

'Cool,' I said in awe as I readied myself to release the last element.

'Harmonize,' I swung my blade not expecting the result to be what happened. I heard a slight ringing from the sound wave that supposedly was made, but I didn't hear a thing. I tried it again with my arm; again only the ringing sound filled my ears.

I turned to Celest with a questioning look on my face.

'It's your powers you won't be able to hear it. What it produces is a high frequency sound wave, close to the brown note, which is very loud and very annoying. In some cases, if enough power is behind it, it could make peoples ears bleed. I suggest not using that element in sparring.'

'Oh… Can you tell me the release for mind now!' I asked extremely excited. If mind was what the gut feeling told me it is, then I should be able to read peoples mind. For some reason I was very happy and anxious to get that power.

'The release for mind is balance. You already used it with your hollow powers and making people relive their worst memories. You will be able to read minds but I suggest you don't really use it. The release, balance, you need to balance all of your powers. You are quite the powerful person, so when trying to get what you want it would be best not to abuse your powers for it could cause more then just yourself harm.'

'I wouldn't think of abusing them. Unless using the wormhole instead of shunpo counts?'

'Don't worry about that, it's helping the universe stay stable,' Celest said in her usual calm yet motherly tone.

'Balance,' I called after a few moments of concentration.

Thoughts immediately came pouring into my head from the people in front of me and from the seireitei. I let them flood through my mind before I began blocking them out selecting one voice at a time to hear to try it out.

'There is one more thing I must tell you. When you are in the seireitei and alone you must try it.'

'What is it?' I interrupted.

'Your bankai, normally it takes a decade or longer to achieve this, but there is something special about you that is making me think you should be able to achieve this on your first try and perfect it your second.'

Not so surprisingly, something else- maybe oh, I don't know, this stupid gut feeling- told me that only one try would be enough.

'A-alright.'

'You know what to say already so the only thing left for you to do is to summon all three of us into the physical world. We all are a part of your bankai and when the last five stars fill up because of the last connections you need to make, it will be at least ten times stronger. When you first try it, the tenth star will light up and if you need it, the three of us will help regulate your control and flow of reiatsu. After that one time you are on your own to fully master it.'

I nodded then focused on the three in front of me as simultaneously issued, "good luck."

I sat up in a hurry with a pout on my face, they kicked me out of my own inner world. I looked around at the numerous people in the room who I must have startled by sitting up so quickly.

"Uh… hi!" I said and waved. They still stared at me like I had seven heads and a tail.

"…I'm Graciela, Gracie if… you… want…?" My introduction turned into a question for the nearly twenty people in the room all had their eyes on me.

All at once the room erupted, "I'll go get Yamamoto soutaichou!" One called.

"I'll go find Shiro and tell him the girl is even cuter than I thought!" I face palmed at that comment and listened to each person talking. I noticed, probably because of releasing the sound element, I could hear much better than before.

"I'm going to tell Captain Ukitake before you!"

"No you wont!"

"Yes I will!" the same girl called again.

The boy shunpo'd from the room with the girl right behind him screaming, "Cheater!"

"When can I start researching you?" a creepy guy wearing what looked to be white and black face paint and some weird gold goatee thing attached to his chin that reminded me of a pharaoh, asked me.

At that point I was fed up with everyone, the creepy guy asking to 'research' me? Yea no thanks Mr. Pedo*. I warped out of there, with no idea where I was going I focused on the area with the least commotion and no minds around.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse ~*_

Captain Unohana walked in and in the calm motherly, yet absolutely terrifying, voice of hers; threatened not so subtly the shinigami in the room.

"Oh look it appears you have all scared our patient away. I suggest you find her before Yamamoto soutaichou arrives here, I would hate having to describe her disappearance."

Scared out of their minds most nodded while some managed a slight, "yes ma'am," before they all used shunpo to go off in different directions throughout seireitei.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

I landed inside a fenced in area full of beautiful cherry blossom trees. I walked around some of the trees before I found one suitable enough to climb. I swung myself onto the lowest branch then climbed to the next highest before I plopped down and hugged my knees to my chest, my back resting lightly on the trunk behind me.

I let my mind reel over the sheer amount of people in that small room. I laughed out loud at the expressions on their faces and what they must have looked like after I 'disappeared'. Quickly I covered my mouth, remembering not to attract any attention to myself.

There is such a high level of spiritual pressure within the seireitei, based on what Ry had told me about this place, the pressure is absolutely nothing compared to what it could be. Apparently most of the higher ranking officers either hid or controlled their spiritual pressure so it would be rather low.

I came here to relax a little after being in that most awkward situation but I'm becoming more stressed. I know I need to let off some steam but both ways I normally do that would attract attention to myself. I decided to hum a little tune and tap my foot to the beat, kind of a compromise between singing and dancing.

One of the lines slipped out and from there I finished the last few lines of the song, "A ribbon on your finger reminds you how lucky, how lucky you are. When the memory is over the ribbon breaks down, letting loose all it's thread. The bond broken down and the lives torn apart put your head on your pillow and gain a fresh start."

"You have a lovely voice." A girl around my age and height said as she hoped onto the branch I am on.

'I never really thought that I could sing...'

"Ah crap. You're not going to bring me to Mr. Pedo are you?"

"No I'm not going to bring you anywhere but back to the fourth division. Captain Unohana needs to check to make sure you are stable. You've been in a coma for nearly four months!"

"I will go willingly with you if you let me try something first," I said as I hopped out of the tree.

"Sure thing," The girl said.

I realized now that she had medium length black hair and some sort of side bangs.

"Would you please move back? I don't want to risk hurting anyone."

"Okay… look girl I don't know what your planing but if-" she stopped talking. Apparently she finally noticed what was happening.

I concentrated on Ry, Ella and Celest's individual minds. Each one issuing me words of encouragement.

_'You set up the first bridge, I will see you soon!' _Ry thought.

**'Number two, right and fast. Not too shabby,'**Ella thought with a small laugh.

'I am very happy that you are able to do this Gracie. Once this step is completed I will regard you fully as the elemental. Good job, and good luck.'

I opened my eyes and all three behind me did the same.

"I thought I told you to do this alone?" Celest said with a threatening tone to her voice.

"Well I was, but not anymore. If I don't try this now I may not be able to for quite some while, so chill," I replied with a smile.

I built up my spiritual pressure, it was still unknown to everyone in seireitei, though not for long. When it was high enough, Ry, Ella and Celest's figures started to fade out as their powers surged through my sword. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and when I opened them I announced not only my presence to seireitei, but my strength as well.

"Bankai."

The other girl stared agape as my clothes changed for the third time. The kimono became a shirt that falls off one shoulder that goes to my upper thigh, a sash to hold my sword goes around my waist in a loose manner, with spandex like shorts going to my mid calf for pants. The kimono didn't fully disappear but became almost like a light sweater in the dark blue with a light blue vortex on the back. The spandex like shorts are the dark blue as well and the shirt is a white so pure it practically looked light blue.

One by one other people flocked to the spot but I didn't care, I needed to practice this. My sword became slightly longer, though it felt lighter. The same basic design as always excluding the fact that the tenth star had lit up in the process of my outfit name of my blade no longer Jūryoku for it was all three spirits, reflecting my personality in a harmonious way, became, "Yunibāsaru."

"Eliminate," I stated, and of the attacks my bankai began to activate. There is also create, despise and cherish. Each one the opposite of one of the others.

What appeared to be hundreds of people gathered, watching me. But I paid them no mind, they were not my concern as of now.

Eliminate incorporates fire, wind, lightning, water, mind and gravity. The wind began to pick up throughout the area,more specifically around my blade as a tornado like vortex formed. I swung sending the vortex moving with fire streaming through it, where it hit into a shed. The shed became the example as to what would have happened if my attack hit a person.

The vortex grew thinner in appearance and instead of wind and fire going through it, water started to flow. The flow of the water would appear to suffocate any person unlucky enough to be caught in it, that in truth was not the case. The water acts as a palpable substance so that I could enter their mind and make it seem that they were drowning. If the illusion failed to work and the person fought back to attempt to get out of the vortex, lightning was sent through the water. The highly conductible substance that water is would shock the person caught within. The vortex finally disappears leaving the person behind, if need be, the force of gravity applied would bend the space time sending the person into another dimension. Normally though, it would just keep the person down until they can be safely removed with no further harm to anyone around.

_'Awesome!'_ I could hear Ry call as I deactivated what was left of my bankai.

**'And you call me sadistic.'**Ella taunted.

'Well done Gracie. You are in truth the true elemental, and fully our master.'

Though my bankai was deactivated my clothes stayed the same. Not like I minded the normal clothes, the kimono started o get very hot.

"Yes!" I called and fist pumped the air. I turned around to see an incomprehensible amount of people standing behind me. They were either, a] gaping, b] clapping, c] scared out of their mind or d] on the ground passed out.

I giggled a little bit, "ah hah, hi? I'm Graciela… Gracie for short if you want."

An old man appeared from the center of the crowd, "everyone please leave the area. All captains report for a meeting, lieutenants as well."

Nearly everyone shunpo'd away, leaving 21 people left standing in front of me.

The old guy stepped towards me, "I am Head Captain Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai of the 13 Court Guards, or the Gotei 13. Please come with me I would like to introduce you to everyone and talk about a few things. You are to join us at the meeting. Please follow me." He said and shunpo'd away.

After a few seconds I searched and found his mind and spiritual pressure and warped to where he waited for me.

"Welcome to my division, the first."

He swung the doors open as more people from earlier began to walk through. I was lead into a rectangular room, a chair on the opposite wall facing the door, a sign with the number 1 was above it. On the left wall there were seats and cushions under signs 2-7 and on the left wall, everything was the same just the signs were 8-13. Everyone started to file in when the doors were shut I noticed three empty chairs under signs 3, 5 and 9. I was going to ask why they were empty but held my tongue for the air in the room was far too tense for my liking.

"Welcome Graciela, do you mind me asking your full name?" The head captain asked.

"No I do not mind, my full name is Graciela Ivy Cordina."

"Please everyone, introduce yourselves to Graciela, in accordance to divisions of course." Head Captain Yamamoto ordered.

"Chōjirō Sasakibem lieutenant of the first division."

"I am Captain of the second division, Soi Fon." She said while staring very harshly at me. I suppressed a shudder and smiled to her as my greeting. Seeming satisfied she walked back to her chair.

"Vice Captain of division two Marechiyo Ōmaeda."

"Izuru Kira, Lieutenant of the third division."

"Retsu Unohana, Captain of the fourth division."

"Thank you." I said to her, "for watching me while I was in the coma," I flashed her a genuine smile.

"Isane Kotetsu Lieutenant of the fourth division."

"Momo Hinamori, Lieutenant of the fifth division."

"Byakuya Kuchiki Captain of the sixth division."

"Excuse me Mr. Kuchiki but you look very similar to the girl who first found me."

"Hn," was all he replied with.

Is that even a real word? I heard Ry and Ella laugh in response and Celest just sigh contently.

"Renji Abarai, Vice Captain of division six."

So the introductions went like that, Sajin Komamura and Tetsuzaemon Iba from squad seven. Shunsui Kyōraku and Nanao Ise from the eigth division. Shūhei Hisagi from the ninth. Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto the tenth. Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi from the eleventh. Mayuri Kurotsuchi, or Mr. Pedo, and Nemu Kurotsuchi from the twelve. I learned the twelve is the research department so that basically explains why Mr. Ped- Captain Kurotsuchi wanted to research me. Finally, Jūshirō Ukitake from the thirteenth division.

"Now could you please share with us your story? More importantly, how to you have bankai- or any shinigami powers at all- when you have absolutely no reiatsu?" Although it was phrased as a question I knew better than not to answer him.

"Around fifty years ago I was murdered by my best friends. I just kind of wondered around until the night when the hollow attacked and Captain Zaraki defeated it and ultimately saved me. I thank you for that sir," I added after ward to show my gratitude.

I continued shortly after to answer the read of Head Captain's question, "I do have spiritual pressure. Just it's always hidden, I need to selectively allow it to flow strong enough to be sensed."

Yamamoto looked at me thoughtfully for a few minutes. Never once did I shift under his gaze, a fact which may have caused him to stop staring at me with a pleased and satisfied look.

"Seeing as you remember Zaraki saved you, I see it fit that you stay with him and Kusajishi in their division," Yamamoto announced.

"If you don't mind me asking, but do the divisions specialize in any thing? If so, what if you specialization?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Yes, each division specializes in other fields. Ours is combat," Kenpachi answered simply.

'Tch.' Was heard from one of the lieutenants, Renji I believe it is.

"Do you wish to say something Abarai?" Yamamoto threatened. The tension in the room rose yet again.

"The fact that they are the most ruthless of all the squads is more like it. I don't believe someone like Graciela should stay there, she seems so fragi-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt Vice captain Abarai, but although I do not enjoy fighting, I am not the only one I am thinking for. Ella can be quite ruthless."

'Ella? What the… does she have multiple personality disorder or something?' I heard Renji think.

'I heard that!' I screamed back mentally. Physically though I just smirked at him while he flipped his lid.

"How did you hear that! Did anyone else hear her answer? What are you!" Renji barked at me.

I giggled while Ella spoke, **'thanks for that, kid. But now I think they are going to ask for you to show them some of our powers.' **

_'Yea,'_ Ry agreed.

'Master, if you don't mind I would also like to speak with Yamamoto.'

'Alright,' I thought.

"Ms. Cordina would you mind showing us your powers? It seems Arabai is very skeptical that you are on our side."

"Of course I will show you my powers, I have nothing to hide. Oh and Head Captain Yamamoto?"

"Yes?"

"I have someone that wants to speak with you," I closed my eyes and focused on Ry, Ella and Celest's minds. Each one leaving our inner world and when I opened my eyes again, were standing behind me.

I heard a chorus of shocked gasps, multiple, "how?"'s and head captain Yamamoto uttering of, "silence."

"This is Jūryoku, my zanpakuto, Ry for short. This is Burakkuhōru my inner hollow and this is Celest, uh… mother nature I guess you could call her," I shrugged at the last part not really knowing how to explain Celest's powers.

"What is this?" Yamamoto roared.

Shocked I jumped, like some of the lieutenants. With no idea what was going on Ry and Ella just shrugged and moved into a protective stance surrounding me. Celest took it in her own hands to calm down Yamamoto.

"Please Yamamoto, calm down."

"Everyone the meeting will take a few moments break, Graciela if you don't mind could you leave Celest here? We have a few things to talk about."

"Okay…" I replied unsurely. I tapped into Celest's mind before Chōjirō shut the french doors when everyone dispersed.

I listened intently while Ry was off talking to Rangiku and Ella was apparently getting ready to fight Kenpachi. I sighed and warped to a quieter area, the roof of a near by building to be exact.

I began to listen in, I closed my eyes and saw their conversation through Celest's eyes.

'I don't appreciate you doing this, but I would have told you eventually,' Celest thought to me.

"How do you expect me to stay calm Celest? After all of these years, what happened?" Yamamoto began and boy did he sound even angrier than before; if it was possible.

"I had the full intensions of training you in the fire element and helping you gain the title you now have acquired. But I have been destined to play this part and help with what I warned you about before I left. Back when I was with you I was nearly a spirit you accidentally came across. You were never my master and quite frankly I do not believe that I would have served as your Vice Captain. I was chosen for a reason to be with Gracie and that is to help save your world and ultimately my own. If asked I know Gracie would help because that is the kind of person she is, but if this conversation continues to go the same way it is now I will not offer my powers to her to aid you," Celest was truly angry, putting it lightly.

I physically whistled, man was she ripping him a new one.

"Then why did you leave all of those centuries ago? You would have never known about Graciela that far back, so why did you leave me?"

"I left because you were always Yama- chan, and still are, to me."

"I loved you Celest," 'Say what?' I thought.

Celest ignored me.

"I know, but like I am now I was only a spirit. Even if I held the same emotions it would never have been possible. Did me leaving not fuel the spark that gave you your inspiration? To truly prove to me how far you have come?"

"Yes and no. I still would have liked you to help train my element," Yamamoto replied lightly; his rage calming as well.

Celest smiled at him and they embraced, it was not romantically but more like the hug you would give a friend you have just met after a whole lifetime of being apart.

'Wow,' I thought as I closed of the connection to Celest's mind.

When I opened my eyes I moved to a more comfortable position, lying on my stomach with my elbows keeping me up and my head in my hands. I watched what was going on, Kenpachi and Ella nearly destroyed the main gates for the first division, though after some damage control they started talking with each other. Apparently they tied though Ella likes to think she won; typical Ella. Ry and Rangiku were annoying the shorter captain with the white hair, Toshiro Hitsugaya I believe his name was. When Yachiru came over to help annoy as well I decided to intervene.

I warped to the area, grabbed his arm and warped back onto the roof.

"Sorry about the three of them annoying you. I know how Ry can be and quite frankly the other two didn't look like they were helping much," I smiled as I sat back down onto the roof.

He was still standing after a few moments, I moved onto my back to look up at him, "Captain Hitsugaya?"

His cold glare bore into my eyes. Unaffected I smiled up at him, contemplating what to say until Celest sent me a warning, 'the meeting is going to be called back soon.'

"We better get going, Head Captain Yamamoto should be calling everyone back soon."

Just as those words left my mouth the doors swung over and I warped to them. Leaving Toshiro behind to stare at me quizzically.

But in truth I was the one truly curious, I know that I have seen him before; but I can't remember where.

"After a short talk, I have proved that Graciela is not a threat and her stay in the eleventh division is finalized. She will be supervised by Yachiru Kusajisji, eventually we will find a place for her in the Gotei 13 is she wishes. Do you have anything you wish to say Graciela?"

"Yea, seeing as you are all taking me in and treating me with the utmost kindness I believe it would be extremely rude if I did not help out in any way. If you need my help with anything, just call me and I would be willing to help. Also, I would like to thank you."

"Very well, you may follow Kusajishi to your room. Meeting dismissed."

Once everyone was out side of the meeting room, Kenpachi came up to me, Yachiru on his back.

"Hello, Captain Zaraki, Lieutenant Kusajishi."

"Don't call me that Gracie!" Yachiru replied, "just call me Yachiru, and if you want you can call Kenny Ken-chan if you would like!"

"Just Kenpachi would be fine. Follow us to our division so we can introduce ya' to everyone," Kenpachi stated while giving me a toothy grin.

"Okay," I replied and shrugged.

'How bad could it be?' I thought.

Apparently really bad. Of all the members in the division, I only remember Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa. The rest tried to attack me, apparently it was some sort of tradition for new members. Even though I was a guest they thought I should be put through it. Basically I stood with a gravity barrier around me, with winds swirling around and surround the inside so that if anyone managed to get past the raised g-force they would just be shot right out.

Two hours everyone was at it. Until eventually I added an electrical current to zap the person unconscious if it hit them. Finally, that got the last few off and passed out.

When Kenpachi saw I laid all his men unconscious without lifting a finger he wanted to fight me, not just Ella. I refused and we got into a bit of an argument, if a bit counted as screaming at each other.

Finally I decided to break it off, "I'm too tired. I'm going to bed! If you follow me in there I'm taking it as sexual assault and getting myself transferred to another division!"

"No, this argument is not over!"

"Yes it is!" I retaliated with, very childishly.

"No, it's not!"

"Yes!"

"No!

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

"NO!" I replied, hoping my trick would work.

"YES! And that's final!" Hook, line and sinker.

"Oh alright, if you really think that. Goodnight!" I replied with sweetly and warped back to my room to leave Kenpachi thinking over what just happened.

The room was medium sized, with either a full or queen bed aloft above the closet. When I walk in, there are three steps to descend for the room has a sunken floor. The ceilings are still the same height throughout the building, which allowed for the bed to be in a small cove above the big closet. Walking in further, on the opposite wall, were two floor to ceiling windows with white drapes over them. A mahogany desk in between them and a medium sized dark green couch on the perpendicular wall. The wall colors were a dark tan, the bedspread matching them along with white and dark green decal and pillows.

Too lazy to climb the steps cut into the wall to get to the bed, I warped up there. Tossing the pillows onto the couch and jumping in between the covers I realized how nice it felt to be in a real bed. After three months on a hospital gurney, this was heaven in well, heaven.

"HEY WAIT A MINUTE!" I heard Kenpachi yell. So I guess he figured it out, I just laughed tiredly at him before I laid my head down on the pillow for good.

Within minutes I fell asleep, not without issuing the other inhabitants of my subconscious, a very well deserved good night.


	6. Chapter 6: Apoapsis

First I would like to thank GakuenAngel12 and Renrinrin for for adding my story, really guys; thanks!  
Oh and I found out that on my laptop, when I press option ; it automatically makes the '…' thing :)  
Also, I would like to apologize for this taking so long, over the past few weeks school has gotten hectic, two essays to plan, and essay to write, and art project, bio extra credit, two quizzes, another test, 5 minute Macbeth and the list just keeps going.  
Stay tuned and enjoy!  
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

I opened my eyes, regaining consciousness, to see a pink haired girl sitting on my bed. Out of reflex I twitched, but did not say anything.

"Morning Gracie~!" Yachiru called, loudly but half heartedly.

"What time is it?" I asked. Maybe it's just me but I don't see the sun through my window, and it's too quiet.

"Uhm," Yachiru stalled as if unsure of what to say next, "it's 4:30 in the morning…"

"Why are you up? Are you alright? Is everyone okay?" I asked, worry getting to me.

"You wouldn't ever betray seireitei, right?"

I gaped at her, where does a question like this even come from? Since I have been here I have been in the greatest care and welcomed, not treated as a prisoner or unknown random person who just so happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Of course not, you are all so nice to me! Why would you think that?"

"I had a nightmare that you joined forces with Aizen," Yachiru said looking away from my face.

"It was only a bad dream, I couldn't imagine ever doing that to everyone."

"Okay," she agreed, though did not seem quite sure.

"Look at me," I ordered her.

When Yachiru turned her head towards me I was finally able to see the tears in her eyes, just begging to spill over. It was too much and I reached out to hug her, comforting who I presume to be my first legitimate friend here. I pulled away when she started to calm down and looked her straight in the eyes.

I held my pinky up to her with a big smile on my face, "I can pinky promise you that I will never betray soul society."

She cocked her head to the side like a lost puppy, "what's a pinky promise?"

I giggled slightly to myself at how different my life and the culture here is, "it's when two people cross pinky's. It's a bond that represents a promise."

"Oh okay! That sounds cool!" Yachiru said, finally reverting back to her normal peppy self.

We crossed fingers with huge smiles on our faces.

"Well I think I'm going to go back to bed now! Cya later!" She called after she jumped from my bed onto the floor.

"Later!" I called while she walked out.

So that conversation took roughly ten minutes, ew, it's almost five. So do I go back to bed or get ready to go in an hour? I asked mentally.

Celest, being the only one awake, answered for me, 'if you go back to sleep, what are the chances of you waking back up?'

'Good point,' I replied back.

I hopped out of bed and realized that my kimono disappeared and my old clothes were back on. I started to materialize in my inner world to ask Celest what was going on but a sharp pain shot through my skull. I dropped to my knees it was so bad, comparable to waking up with a hangover then a tornado ripping apart your house, getting hit by a truck and stabbed all at the same time. Those just being things I named of the top of my, now aching, head.

I stopped my attempt to materialize into my inner world and slowly the headache went away. After what seemed like forever, I decided it was time to try again. This time though I made it in with no problem or pains.*

"Weird," I said out loud as my kimono appeared on my figure.

It was a little different, I could tell. After releasing my bankai the kimono became tighter, no longer with wide open sleeves but they were tight on my arms. The sash around my waist was tighter; although normally tight clothes bother me, this was very comfortable. It fit me perfect and hugged every curve without it being promiscuous.

The realization hit me that I never took off my old clothes, being so caught up in my umpteenth change of clothes my observational skills became dulled and I failed to notice that my old clothes were still under the kimono. Stripping those off my body, I tossed the kimono back on and decided to make some breakfast.

Halfway down the hall I began to smell bacon, I turned the corner to the kitchen and saw a bald man standing over the stove.

"Your name is Ikkaku, right?" I asked, leaning against the doorway.

He jumped, but sighed when he saw me, "oh it's just you. Do you think.…" He trailed off.

"No I wont tell anyone that you can cook," I said with a smile.

"Thanks."

"If you're that worried let me take over, or set the table or something. Just sit," I added.

He shrugged and sat down at the seat near the door.

When I grabbed myself a plate and set out one for Ikkaku, other members began to file in. It being nearly 5:30 now, I suppose that the day stars early here. I decided it would be best if I left the room now, wouldn't want to get caught up in a fight over food.

"Gracieeee~"

"Hi Yachiru," I said, not really enthusiastic this morning and very out of it thanks to the weird headache.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I mumbled something incoherent and I walked off. No sooner to turn around and call out, "I'm calling you Chi from now on!" in a completely bipolar manner.

`So, it's almost 6. I'm heading to the tenth division to help with paperwork, and I just almost ran into a wall. My head is still throbbing slightly as a left over part of that weird headache. What the heck is going on with me? Am I going crazy? Nah too late, I answered myself.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

Meanwhile…

_'So you are absolutely sure it was safe to show her everything so soon?'_

'Of course! We knew she could have done it in a day if we made her, it's just her memories are going to come back slowly. If she did it that fast then those other five connections would have ripped open too soon, for both parties, and left them practically vegetables.'

'**Didn't she try to connect to us earlier? Why did you kick her out?'**

'I didn't kick her out, I though she disconnected it.'

'**No… why would she have a headache then?'**

'It's probably just a freak thing.'

'_Yea.'_

_

* * *

_

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

'So yea it's probably it, a freak thing,' I concurred with myself.

When I ended my mental ramblings I found myself at the 10th division office, much faster than I hoped to arrive here.

"Whatever," I mumbled and knocked on the office door.

"Come in," was the reply I heard, presumably from the captain himself.

"Good morning Captain Hitsugaya," I greeted with a smile on my face.

My good mood returning now that I am no longer scatter-brained.

"Morning. You can work at Matsumoto's desk, she probably wont be coming in until later, if at all."

"Oh… okay."

'He sounds like he is in a bad mood,' I thought.

I took a look over the first sheet on the desk, no signatures needed, but quite some math. 'Just simple algebra, basic probability and oh… I may need a calculator.'

"Excuse me, but do you have a calculator?"

"Check the desk," was his stern reply.

'Definitely in a bad mood, maybe he will talk to me later.'

First drawer, empty bottle of… alcohol? Okay, second… same thing. As I pulled out each drawer I went about doing so louder, a vein began to pop on captains head.

"Could you-"

"Found it!" we yelled at the same time.

Our gazes met, he looked furious. I smiled at him and shrugged.

"Do you have a garbage bag anywhere, a big one?" I said talking with my hands to emphasize the big part.

"No…?" He replied as a question.

"So… many… bottles. Ugh, I'll be back soon," I transported out of the room to the storage room I saw on the way in.

"Graciela!" I could barely hear Hitsugaya scream a few seconds later.

`Hurry Gracie, hurry. Now where did you see the… oh here they are!`

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry, don't kill me!" I called, transporting back into the room.

Hitsugaya looked so mad I didn't even want to know what was on his mind.

"Drop the bag. Sit. Work. Be. Quiet," he said staring into my eyes and quite frankly what felt like my soul in a icy demeanor.

I nodded my head, with my eyes closed in a smile to break the gaze.

'Back to math,' I thought sitting down slowly; his eyes following my every movement until I was fully back into the seat.

The area of the region to observe is 204 square miles, what is the likelihood of these events occurring: A hollow attack if the average distance between where separate hollows attack is 3 miles, a spirit that has not yet received soul burial when in an area of 50 square miles there are roughly 200 souls undetected that are wondering aimlessly or if an espada shows up. An espada would only show up if there was an extreme show of reiatsu in the human realm, or if more than 10 soul reapers were in said specific area at one time. Once those statistics are calculated, find the chance than all would occur at the same time and apply it to different high population areas throughout the world and mark them on the map provided to more thoroughly send out soul reapers to check on areas.

'Oh god… if all the questions are like this then I may just risk that headache again.'

"Tea?" Captain Hitsugaya asked me.

I jumped; woken from my state of mind, "oh! Uh…sure."

'He probably thinks that I'm an idiot now… hmm let me check.' I thought, holding back a smirk.

'Hyourinmaru, why did you suggest I ask her help again?'

'Greaaat,' I thought, blushing.

First day on the job and already people have doubts.

"I'll be back in a few."

"Okay," I said as he walked out of the door, leaving it open slightly.

'Next sheet… Okay this one isn't so bad. Simple interest rate stuff, I= Prt. Okay so the 10th division gets 10,000 dollars to invest in a human bank of their choice, one that preferably has world wide access. The captain and vice captain have the cards to access it as well as the head captain. Since the account is a 'big buisness' they receive a .3 percent rate of increase over the course of a month. The only times that increase can come about s from opening to closing bells for the stock market. Over the past three years the rate has dropped to .23 percent, over the past ten years what is the gross rate of interest?'

Working very diligently I failed to notice someone had walked into the room until, _crash._

I heard someone moan in annoyance, so I lifted my head to see who it is.

"Vice Captain Matsumoto? Have you come to help?"

"Don't tell Shiro I was here. Oh and you look pretty today!"

"Thank you?" I said.

But she was gone by the time the last word was out of my mouth. I shrugged it off and got back to my work, being disrupted not more than five seconds later.

"Matsumoto was here, wasn't she?" Mr. Bad Mood is back I suppose.

"Yep," I replied without looking up.

I wrote down the last numbers on this sheet and put it on the pile of sheets I have done. The pile was a good three inches thick, and I have had enough for now.

"I think I'm going to take a break. Do any of these papers need to be delivered anywhere?"

"On the back of the packets it should have where they need to go."

"Okay, be back later," I said while grabbing the other pile which was seemingly double the size of mine. It has been almost three hours since we started, apparently doing so much paper work allows Captain Hitsugaya to get them done faster.

* * *

_*~Frozen Harmony~*_

"So much for her tea," I stated as I sat back down; glancing toward the other cup.

_'You know you think she's cute,'_ Hyourinmaru commented when Graciela left.

'First off, shut up and I don't. Second, why are you showing up now when we could have had a decent conversation hours ago.'

_'Talking with Graciela's zanpakuto, hollow and Celest. Do you know she can read minds?'_

Fighting back a blush I took a sip of my tea.

_'Ho, ho master. You're blushing, so you were thinking thoughts of her I suppose…'_

I gave him the cold shoulder for awhile before I felt his presence disappeared.

Which gave me the chance to wonder, 'had she been listening to my thoughts the whole time?'

The strange feeling bloomed in the pit of my stomach however, and told me that she isn't the kind of person to do such things.

'This is getting more frequent, is it because of Graciela?'

_'So you were thinking of her!'_

'Shut up!'

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

'_Hyourinmaru is really nice!' _Ry commented.

'Finally! I can connect and sense you guys again, where were you?'

**'Talking with Hyourinmaru, the old dragon is actually pretty funny.'**

'Wait where's Celest?' I questioned.

_'I dunno.'_

**'Yea, I think she is feeling guilty about something because she has been acting really weird today.'**

'Hm, well when you guys see her wish her luck from me with whatever she is dealing with.'

_**'Okay!'**_They replied in synchronization.

"Hey Graciela!" Renji called.

"Didn't I tell you to call me Gracie?" I responded.

"No, but now that I know, I shall."

"Okay Mr. Formal. Anywho, here is some paper work I need to deliver from the tenth division."

"Alright, thanks. I'll go give it to Captai-"

"RENJI!" The girl who first found me yesterday walked in yelling.

"Shit," Renji half whined half whispered.

"I'll leave you to to deal with that." I walked off toward the office, hearing some screams, crashes, pleads, laughing and someone singing. Today, and the people here for that matter, just became a lot more interesting.

I knocked on the door, "delivery Captain Kuchiki!"

"Please come in."

"Here is the paper work that we have finished from the tenth division, I'll most likely be back later with more," I said to him respectfully.

"Thank you," he replied without looking up.

I took that as my signal to make my retreat and transported to the next division's office.

I figured that the next few captains wouldn't mind so much, and I was not in the mood to talk to anyone really. Quickly heading to the 13th, 8th, 5th and 9th; dropping off the appropriate paperwork. I transported to the gates of division ten and decided to walk around for a little before heading back to the office.

While wondering aimlessly I took in the surroundings and beauty of this place for the first time. The gardens were exquisite, with fountains in the direct center of each and one large fountain in the middle of the main courtyard. From where I was sitting on the side of said fountain, just one look up and I could see all three stories of the barracks and the large arched doorway to the courtyard. The view from the rooms is definitely better than the ones back in the eleventh division; to be honest I think that the small view I had from my room is of these very same gardens.

_'The gardens of the sixth division are prettier and you know it,'_ Ry added.

I just rolled my eyes and turned my head to the left where I heard someone coming from. That someone being Captain Hitsugaya; and he did not look happy.

"Ah, sorry! I was just heading back to the office now!" I called scurrying away.

He stopped me by tightly grasping my upper left arm, I looked up slightly to meet his eyes. Wait looked up? He seemed shorter than me yesterday when we were sitting on the roof.

"Can you read minds?" he bluntly stated. Okay, so not what I thought he would say.

"Uh, yea. Why?" I asked, resisting the urge to face palm.

"Have you looked into mine?" He asked sternly.

Where was he going with this? This isn't 20 questions and he probably knows as well as I do that there is more paper work to do, so why all this nonsense?

"What information exactly did you find? Why did you do it?" Hitsugaya asked getting angrier, his grip on my arm tightening.

"If you would kindly remove your arm I would be glad to answer you," I replied stiffly and made sure that I sounded very irked. He complied and I continued.

"When I completely embarrassed myself earlier with the whole calculator and garbage bag thing, plus being all jumpy; that's when I looked into your mind. I just wanted to see if I was making a good impression or not and when I checked it seemed like I wasn't so I left your mind alone."

"Make a good impression, huh," his eyes softened as he looked away, as if reminiscing about something.

"Come on let's get back to the office and get you another cup of tea," Hitsugaya said with a slight smile.

Somewhat freaked out by his random show of friendliness, I held my mouth and nodded my head; yes. Turning around to walk with him.

When back at the office I sat on the couch, "might as well be comfortable," I mumbled to myself.

"I swear we have been working for another 3 hours! Can't we break again for tea?" I pleaded.

"No! It's only been one!" Hitsugaya argued, the workaholic side of him kicking in.

"Well go check then!" I argued back in a pleading manner.

"…Fine."

A few seconds later and, "you were right," he admitted begrudgingly.

"Cha-ching. Now do you want honey and sugar or just honey? It's my turn to make it."

"Just honey. But don't take too long, I know some of your powers so it should take you less time to make it than it took me," he said as I walked out the door.

Somehow, after the fountain incident, him and I started to get along a lot better. I was happy for it too, the more friends the merrier I am; which is always a good thing. I walked into the kitchen with a smile and thought once more, 'I guess it could be considered as acting friendlier to me, if friendly counted as only talking to me once every three ours. But hey, it's a start.'

Grabbing the items needed to make Hitsugaya's, and my own, tea; I transported back into the office.

"Finished faster than I thought?" Hitsugaya stated as a question.

"Nah," I responded matter-of-factly, "I'm going to give you a show," I completed with a smile.

He shot me a questioning glance, finally looking up from his paper work.

I picked up the cups and putting the tea packets and water into the cups I super heated my hands. The water boiling at a rather quick rate. Figuring that it was safe enough to to look up for a second, I glanced toward Hitsugaya. His eyes were open in amazement, I smirked in triumph but my gaze quickly turned quizzical. Hitsugaya's mouth started to form to say something, or yell. Before the first sound could even make it out of his mouth I felt the boiling tea on my hands.

"Ow!" I screamed and flung the cups off of my hands.

Soaring over to the pile of completed paper work on the floor, I realized the severity of what would happen. Quickly I managed to transport over to the pile but I wasn't fast enough to freeze the tea. Hitsugaya and I both watched with wide eyes as the paper slowly absorbed the tea into it, dying the pristine white paper a mucky brown.

The temperature in the room dropped significantly, and since I didn't do it I suppose that it must have been Hitsugaya.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Oh my gosh, I am so so so so so sorry! I can try to dry these out, or maybe find a way to extract the tea! Ah crap, I'm so sorry Captain Hitsugaya Taicho!" I couldn't tell you how many times I said that, but eventually the temperature in the room returned back to normal, and Hitsugaya gradually moved his way over to me.

He grabbed my arm, and I winced expecting him to be holding it in a tight vice, instead, "c'mon, it's been a long day. I think we both need a break. Worry about this later."

'W-w-w-what?' I thought. Mr. Serious just said that we could take a break. What has got into the Captain?

"Uh what?"

"I think you heard me just fine, come on. Lets go get some lunch."

"So you're not mad?"

"That's debatable, though I know that you know you will be recopying those papers later," he added with a cocky smirk.

"What if I decide to disappear like Matsumoto?" I asked, challenging him in a joking matter.

"Well then I would just have to find you and bring you back. Then either strap you down or freeze you legs to make you stay… though I don't think those would work on your now that I think about it."

"You are such a little kid!" I said, laughing.

"I am not. What I am, is right when I say that you are going to come back to help me after lunch."

"Yea…" I admitted bashfully.

"Now come on, lets go to the food court cause I don't think that it is the best idea to let you cook after what just happened," He joked.

I pouted and crossed my arms and began to walk briskly in front of him.

"And I'm the little kid?" He asked condescendingly.

I spun around ready to retaliate he interrupted me, "you're it."

That stupid gut feeling acted up again, but I ignored it like usual. It's not like it means anything, it's probably just hunger pains.

He shunpo'd away and I sent a message into his mind, "oh it is so on."

I began to track his spiritual energy, as well hidden as it was, I found it in the first spot I searched for it; it was kind of obvious anyway. I headed for the food court and I transported to him, well, to where I would land at least 10 feet in front of him. I opened my mouth to say something, but didn't realize how fast he was going. Hence he shunpo'd straight into me.

"Ah crap, my head," I whined once I collected myself.

"Sorry for that Graciela," Hitsugaya added.

"Jeez Hitsugaya, just call me Gracie already. No need to be sorry, it was an accident after all; and partially my fault," I said.

Realizing my mistake, "Oh sorry, Captain Hitsugaya!"

"Nah it's alright, you're a guest here, besides I already know that you show respect to me. Calling me my title isn't the only way you can show it," he said getting up from the cobblestone walkway.

Now things are getting fishy, and this stupid gut feeling grew even worse. What exactly is making him warm up to me so quickly? He was practically a block of ice when I walked in this morning.

_'I am so telling that one to Hyourinmaru,' _Ry laughed.

"Oh…okay." I said through my blush.

I quickly scrambled to get up, partially to hide it.

"What's your favorite food?" I started at him on a dubious manner.

By now, these random acts of.. whatever they are; have started to become normal. I'm even getting used to them and no thanks to the gut feeling, which told me that things were actually going the way that they should between Hitsugaya and myself.

"What?" He asked.

"You are being very different, almost uncharacteristic," I answered, "or, maybe this you is how you really are and I just met him?"

He gave me a look saying 'are-you-crazy?', "or maybe not. Oh look, food!"

My eye twitched slightly, he was acting way too weird.

"Captain Hitsugaya are you dating the noob?"

The whole of the food court erupted in laughter over this comment.

"What's a noob?" I said curiously.

My question was only met with more obnoxious laughter though.

My response was to roll my eyes, as for the captain well, "show some respect!" he glanced at me.

I caught on, "o-oh ya! I could take you, so I suggest that you please… be… quiet."

The room started to laugh again but I wouldn't take. When I get mad, I get mad, "shut up!" I screamed.

Everything went quiet except, of course, the man, "oh you're a feisty one now are you? You wouldn't want me to hate you Ms. 'I-could-take-you.' Of course, if you were referring to taking me into a bedroom, because with your feisty attitude I am more then willing to take you."

His lecherous gaze shifted all over my body and I cringed, but it only helped to fuel the spark.

"Are you taunting me because I'm more powerful than you? Because I'm making you feel insecure so trying to bring me down is giving you some giddy sense of high?" I said, walking up toward the man. On closer inspection I took note that the man had light green eyes and black hair.

"Doing this is just stupid, and wrong. People have hated me my whole life and the way I died should have made me a hollow. I thought being here would allow me to finally find some peace, but hey I guess there are some bad apples in every bunch." I finished, just as furious as before but now exhausted.

"Why you little-," he whispered under his breath.

"What was that?" I screamed.

I was going to become violent when I felt an arm on mine, assuming it was Hitsugaya's, I took his warning of not to continue with this guys games.

"Whatever, I should stop wasting my time with people like you," I concluded and transported to the tenth division fountain. Not without sending Hitsugaya a mental message of where I am going.

* * *

_*~Frozen Harmony~*_

'What is this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach? It's making me act very differently; I feel so immature!'

_'Master, do you think that it's because Gracie is bringing out the side of you that you forced away so long ago?'_

'...No.'

Before I knew it, I hit into something. Bouncing back slightly, I looked down to find Graciela sprawled out on the floor of the food court.

"Ah crap, my head," she whined while holding her head.

"Sorry for that Graciela," I added, offering her help off the ground.

"Jeez Hitsugaya, just call me Gracie already. No need to be sorry, it was an accident after all; and partially my fault," she said. Immediately after, she corrected herself, "oh sorry, Captain Hitsugaya!"

"Nah it's alright, you're a guest here, besides I already know that you show respect to me. Calling me my title isn't the only way you can show it," I said.

Wait, what's coming over me? Yea, I don't mind that she calls me Hitsugaya only; but she still needs to show that respect to me, even if she is a guest here. I'm her superior so-

_'Sorry to burst your bubble Master, but she's probably stronger than you; so in that respect she may be your superior.'_

'Technicalities..'

"Oh…okay." she said while attempting to hide her blush.

"What's your favorite food?" I asked her when we walked into the food court. The smell was intoxicating and I couldn't help but let that question slip. The reason I couldn't help it, is cause of the persistent feeling in my gut; and it's just been getting worse!

When I noticed her stare that said, 'who-are-you-and-what-have-you-done-with-Hitsugaya' I had to ask, "what?"

"You are being very different, almost uncharacteristic," she paused for a moment "or, maybe this you is how you really are and I just met him?"

I gave her a an incredulous look, "or maybe not. Oh look, food!"

My hand twitched slightly, that was strange; since when do I sound excited. Oh that's right, ever since the feeling in my gut decided to stay for good.

"Captain Hitsugaya are you dating the noob?"

I looked over to find who directed the question at me. Whoever he is, he has black hair and green eyes that held back a lecherous personality.

The whole of the food court erupted in laughter over this comment.

"What's a noob?" Gracie asked curiously.

Though her question was only met with more obnoxious laughter.

Her response was to roll her eyes, as for me? I wouldn't stand it, "show some respect!" he glanced at me.

She caught on after a second, "o-oh ya! I could take you, so I suggest that you please… be… quiet."

The room started to laugh again but Gracie wouldn't take. I was going to quiet them myself, but she beat me to it, "shut up!"

Everything went quiet except, of course, the man, "oh you're a feisty one now are you? You wouldn't want me to hate you Ms. 'I-could-take-you.' Of course, if you were referring to taking me into a bedroom, because with your feisty attitude I am more then willing to take you."

His lecherous gaze shifted all over Gracie's body and I saw her cringe. I glanced over to the man, and sent a cold glare his way.

_'Since when does Yamamoto allow pedophiles into seireitei?'_

'Hyourinmaru, now is not the time!'

"Are you taunting me because I'm more powerful than you? Because I'm making you feel insecure so trying to bring me down is giving you some giddy sense of high?" she said while walking up toward the man.

"Doing this is just stupid, and wrong. People have hated me my whole life and the way I died should have made me a hollow. I thought being here would allow me to finally find some peace, but hey I guess there are some bad apples in every bunch," she finished, just as furious as before but now, she looked exhausted.

I saw his lips move, but no words came out. At least I couldn't hear them; who knows how low he said them.

"What was that?" GRacie screamed; really in his face now.

I interjected by placing a hand on Gracie's arm when I felt that she would start getting violent. Thankfully she heeded my warning.

"Whatever, I should stop wasting my time with people like you," she concluded and disappeared in a flash.

'Where-'

my thoughts were interrupted, 'the divisions fountain.'

"You," I said pointing at the man, "report back to my division in fifteen minutes. We will be having a talk and then going to your captain. If you aren't there, then I will send Graciela to personally get you. Who knows what she would do to you seeing as she doesn't get mad. Ever. Wouldn't want her to actually use her powers on a sorry pathetic soul like you."

With the last threat I shunpo'd away to the tenth division fountain. Gracie sent me one of her messages and I'll be honest, they are very useful.

"Gracie…" I started but stopped once I noticed that she is crying.

The feeling in my gut twisted around painfully, which compelled me to go comfort her.

"Hit-sugaya. I'm sorry I got so mad, can you please tell the man that I am sorry, I didn't mean to over react. I-" I cut her off.

"No Gracie, you had every right to do that. I think that I should take you back to the eleventh division," I helped her up.

"But the paper work," she started.

"Hey, the paper work will always be there tomorrow," I added with a smile.

"Wow, I thought I would at least get out of it," she added, a smile now on her face and a giggle slipping through her lips.

_'Which by the way, are a shade of rosy red.'_

'Hyourinmaru! Shut up! Go talk to Celest or something!'

_'Alright master…' _

"I can transport us to my division if you'd like."

"Sure." I shrugged.

Before I could blink we were there, and a felt a wave of nausea but held it off for Gracie's sake. She turned the door knob to her room and walked in with a, "thanks."

I nodded to her back and began to walk down the hallway.

"Wait," I heard her call.

When I turned she was crying again, this time harder.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" I asked.

"Can I talk to you? Everything just kind of came cashing down on me with what the man said," she forced a laugh here, "after fifty years of holding in my emotions, anger just blew up in my face and Ry is busy so she can't help-"

"May I come in?" I asked walking towards her.

I was actually very surprised, and strangely; somewhat proud, with the way that she handled herself while upset. She talked straight, walked pretty much normally and the only indication that she is upset are the tears pouring steadily from her face.

She nodded her head and walked into her room as a response. When inside she led me to the couch, I sat first and she sat dow next to me, crying in her hands. I felt the urge to do something I have never done before, not even with Hinamori. I placed my arm around Gracie's shoulders and brought her head to my chest. Shocked, her head shot up.

"It's alright, just cry until you feel better."

He lip started quivering, her facade finally shattering ,and in what seemed to be extreme sadness; she burst. Waling into my chest and shaking. Her tears now starting to soak though my haori, but strangely, I could care less about anything else; only her.

After that thought ran through my mind, the gut feeling lessened to nearly nonexistent.

Slowly her tears stopped and she gently picked her head up and rested it on my shoulder, my arms now lightly holding her around the waist. This position felt so natural, and a wave of nostalgia hit me; but over what I had not a clue.

"Do you mind if I tell you a little about myself?" She asked.

"Of course not," I said shocked.

Normally people would just start talking, Gracie really is something else, courteous and nice all the time, a raging madwoman when upset, beautiful, powerful and a mystery all at the same time.

_'Who called it!' _Hyourinmaru and.. someone else, called form my mind.

'Is Celest with you?'

_'No..'_

I fought a blush as she continued, "I died when I was seventeen. I was an only child so I can't even imagine how upset my parents were when they found out their only baby was dead. I danced my whole life, had guys falling over me and a group of close, true friends my whole life. Everyone else, like I said before, were so envious of me it turned into hate. At the time I didn't realize their two faces, especially the two my 'closest friends' had. One night at the light house we were playing a game of spin the bottle and when myself and the chosen guy walked to stand at the eastern most point of Long Island, they pushed me off the side of the rocks. The fall broke my back and cracked my skull, their last words were the last things I heard, 'Let's see how well you can swim, you're- you're good at everything else!'" Gracie began to sob again.

"All that I wanted was to live a happy life, but I never even- never even made it past my eighteenth birthday."

Her sobs grew in volume as, what I suppose, memories flooded back to her.

Again, doing something else I have never done before, I picked her up and placed her in my lap so I could hold her in my arms.

In response her croaked a, "thank you Hitsugaya, thank you so much," as well as throwing her arms around my neck and crying more.

"It was nothing and after this, call me Toshiro. First name basis, promise?"

Surprised she picked her head up and stared me dead in the eye, apparently content with what she found there, she held out her little finger, "promise."

Grasping her little finger with mine it was a sealed deal, and as the gut feeling stirred again, I realized that this promise in turn will mean more to us than a promise has ever meant before.

* * *

*LOL, innuendo XD


	7. Chapter 7: Big Bang

Hello everyone!  
Also, if you do not get some of the names of the chapters, just ask and I'll explain them for you. :)  
And again, I apologize for the late update. It is my last two weeks of school before finals and it is very hectic! I will try to get the chapters up on a weekly basis but until June 25th, results may vary.  
Anywho, here's chapter 7.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

'Ugh it's time to get up already?' I heard the persistent, but light, knocking on my door.

"Sorry, sorry! Coming!"

After quickly throwing my hair up to look halfway decent for whoever was at the door, I transported over.

"Good morning Graciela, I do believe that you will be helping out in my division today?" the vice captain, Isane Kotetsu, asked calmly.

"Of course!" I said, ushering her from my door way into the hall.

"Um…" I began hesitantly, "are you here to get me because I am late?" I asked.

"No of course not!" She reassured.

"Captain Unohana and I recently got a load of paperwork dropped on us."

"So we'll be doing paperwork all day?"

"We will be but not you."

"What? I asked confused.

"You did paper work all day for Hitsugaya Taicho, so Unohana Taicho and I decided that you would be helping out and spending time with some of our patients."

"Oh okay, cool! I love meeting new people!" I smiled and walked into the fourth division along side of her.

"Unohana Taicho is in the next room, just talk with her and she will direct you where to go."

"Okay, thank you Kotetsu fukutaicho!"

"It's no problem Graciela!" she replied.

Sure it was a little awkward talking to her at first, seeing as she was nearly a foot taller than me, but eventually people have to grow on ya.

"Good morning Unohana Taicho." I said before I bowed to show my respect. Most of the customs here already beginning to rub off on me.

"Morning to you too. I hope Isane sent you here to get your task for today, is that correct?" She asked calmly.

"Yes ma'am," I replied respectively.

"Alright, well because of Aizen's betrayal some members of the Gotei 13 were effected with enormous strain and anxiety. One of those especially being Hinamori Momo, Aizen's lieutenant. Although it has been around two months since the incident she still has not fully recovered. Today she is coherent and I think that she needs someone new to help her out, someone who could replace part of the emptiness Aizen left within her."

"Oh wow, that must have been terrible for her. I think I may be able to relate though, what room is she in?"

"She is down the hall, seventh on the left."

"Okay," I said before turning to walk away.

"And Graciela?" Unohana Taicho called, "thank you."

I smiled a warm sincere smile, my mood automatically lifting, and began to walk to Momo's room.

I knocked twice on the already open door just to let her know that I was there.

"Come in," she said meekly.

"I'm Graciela, you can call me Gracie though," I introduced myself.

"Hinamori Fukutaicho," she stated simply.

I didn't know what else to say so I just sat back in the chair and began a mental conversation with Toshiro.

'Toshiro!' I yelled in his mind.

'Gracie! I swear, you almost made me spill more tea over the paper work!'

'Sorry!' I replied back.

'So how are you today, are you going to come over to recopy?'

'Actually Toshiro I'm sorry I can't, I'm helping out Captain Unohana today, maybe tomorrow?'

'No it's alright, Matsumoto just walked in, I'll make her do it.'

'Good luck with that!' I ushered.

'Thanks I'll need it.'

We sat in awkward silence for a little while once my conversation with Toshiro ended.

"So…" I began, "how's life?" Okay, that might not have been the best thing to ask.

"Have you ever loved someone?" she asked out of the blue.

"No," I replied. A strange feeling filled my gut, as if I was lying about never loving anyone before. I shrugged it off to wait for more conversation, but none came.

Silence ensued again and I was thinking of things to say when I noticed a soft sound coming from her. They were soft sobs and there were tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Hinamori Fukutaicho, what's wrong?" I asked surprised and truly worried for the girl.

The only answer I received was an increased intensity of her cries. I got up to close the door to give us some privacy then sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Whoever he is, he isn't worth your tears." I said simply.

"What do you know!" She spat at me angrily, I wasn't offended because I understand where se was coming from. Her sadness turning to anger over her inability to accept that Aizen left.

"I was murdered by my best friends when I was 17. Then I wandered around my town aimlessly watching all of my friends grow up, move away and some of my closest loved ones die."

She made a small sound, the rough intake of air; she was shocked.

"I may understand what you are going through more than you think and if you don't mind, I would like to help you."

She nodded in response and I moved closer to her, sitting indian style, cross legged, symmetrical to her on the bed.

"What exactly happened Hinamori Fukutaicho?"

"If we are going to talk about this then I suggest you call me by my first name, what is a friend if you still use formalities?" I saw a small remnant of a smile form on her face, ah there is hope!

"Not a very good one…" I answered her with a slight giggle.

"Basically what happened is that my whole life I looked up to this one man, basically I wanted to become a shinigami to be able to serve under him. He was my idol and I worked the hardest I ever have to earn his respect. When I finally did achieve that he became my mentor and eventually I was promoted to his vice captain. Over time I began to tell him everything, he became one of the only people I trusted here in seireitei, to the point where I basically began to love him. Then around two months ago, when you were in your coma, he was 'murdered'," she said using air quotes, "not only was I in distress over his death, but he left a note explaining who killed him. Although it turned out just to be part of his master plan, he blamed it on my childhood friend Shiro."

Woah, wait, Shiro as in Toshiro? These guys are old friends?

"I attacked him out of my confusion and ended up hurting myself more than I inflicted harm to him. Not only did I feel like I was torn apart and ripped to pieces but I felt guilty on top of that for attacking my oldest friend. I know that Aizen isn't worth it, rationally I understand that, but my heart… my heart won't. I still love him Gracie, I really do."

Queue the water works, I reached over and hugged her to comfort her, almost like Toshiro did last night. Blah, stupid waves of nostalgia.

"Don't worry Momo it will be alright sooner or later. For instance, when I realized that I was dead and that it was my friends who did it, my mind knew they were horrible people and that I shouldn't even waste brainpower on them but my heart still accepted them as my best friends. I didn't know what to do, but eventually the feelings of shock wore off and I was able to really sit down and think. Now look at me, fifty years later and I end up someplace that I never knew existed all because I moved on with my life. It may seem slow and torturous now but you'll get there, I know you can."

I pulled out of the hug to look her straight in the eye, I could tell that she was absorbing my words, hopefully mulling it over. I wanted to know what she was thinking but I decided to stay out of her mind, why invade the personal space of someone dealing with a heat break on top of a betrayal.

"Thank you Gracie," Momo said after some time with a light smile.

"It's no problem at all." I replied genuinely with a bright smile.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

While Gracie and Momo got to talking, Toshiro forced Matsumoto into paper work.

But somewhere in a world connected and made by two minds a sphere or memories began to crack, the potency no less than if they were released one by one but all at once could prove to change the order of events in more than just a few ways.

Two spirits, possibly two others, are discussing this topic and their hosts.

"This could give us more time in the long run."

"Or less."

"Most likely not, time goes to commence it doesn't shorten. There are too many paradigms to result in us having less time."

"What if things have already started changing."

"Then they have already started changing, and we go along with it."

"Tch, easy for you to say, cause you're the cause of it."

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

"Good afternoon Captain Hitsugaya!"

"Graciela? I thought that you were helping out in the fourth division today? Or is my memory just failing me?" He joked.

"I am, but Captain Unohana let me come here for a break so I could ask you a question," I said.

"And that would be," he urged on.

"If you wanted me to copy the paper work I ruined yesterday?"

"Sure Gracie! You can take over and do the rest if you want. Bye Captain!"

"Matsumoto!" He screamed.

"So I suppose that you ended up getting her to do it?"

"Yea but what are my chances of getting her back now?" A devious smile formed on my face as I turned my head to look out the door.

"Sorry about that, you want me to go get her?" I asked.

"What do you have in mind?" He asked, suspicious.

"Oh nothing, so do you want my help or not?" I asked staring him in his gorgeous turquoise. Within them I found a sense of familiarity I hadn't noticed before. I was loving it though.

"Gladly," he replied then gave a sigh of relief and a short nod.

I nodded my head in agreement, simultaneously tracking her spiritual pressure. Although she managed to hide it quite well, it's no surprise that when I did find hers, it was along with Ikkaku's, Hisagi's and Renji's. Transporting to the room they were all located, this time the lieutenants room in the 9th division, I grabbed her arm and transported out before any complaints were made.

"Pass the sake already will ya- oh… Hi Gracie, Captain. How'd I get here?" She asked, smiling her dopey smile when she knows that she has been caught.

"Matsumoto, I suggest that you sit back down and finish recopying those last few pages."

"But Captainn, you heard Gracie! She's going to finish them!"

"That Matsumoto is where you are wrong. I am not going to finish you work and well, you see; if you didn't automatically assume that I was going to finish it, then I would be back at the fourth division already. But seeing as you wasted my time on break I'm going to get back late, and I don't think that Captain Unohana will be very happy." Matsumoto gulped here, everyone in seireitei is well aware of how scary Unohana can be, "So if you will kindly finish the paper work for Captain Hitsugaya here and not slack off; it will allow me to quickly return and explain to Captain Unohana why I'm late. I would rather not send her to you to get an explanation." I finished my empty threat and opened my eyes, though keeping my cheshire smile, to make sure she was good and scared.

"Is that clear?" I asked, shutting my eyes once more.

"As day, ma-ma'am," she stuttered.

"How about I walk you back and help explain to Captain Unohana," Toshiro continued, "oh and Matsumoto, if I find your absence in my return I will throw out your hidden sake."

"How do you know where it is?" She asked, astonished.

"I have my ways."

She gulped and walked over to her desk shakily.

When Toshiro and I finally made it out side we both gave heavy sighs of relief.

"Do you really know where her hidden sake is?"

"Not a clue."

His smile turned to laughter, which led to the sound of my laugh joining in, and ultimately an awkward silence once the fit was over.

I turned to him, better to get this over with now, "so Toshiro, thanks for everything, really."

I saw him trying to suppress his blush, his tanned skin concealed most of it but there was still a pinkish tint staining his cheeks.

"It's really no problem, really it felt almost natural," he replied absentmindedly.

"You know what, I think I know what you mean. It felt as if I have done that before," I replied.

My suspicions aroused as to why we would both be feeling this strange sense of déjà vu.

"That's exactly what I mean almost as if-"

The rest of his words became slurred, my headache returning. This time it was accompanied by nausea and was at least ten times more painful.

"Toshiro," I called to him as I fell.

He managed to catch me but we both fell moments later. Wordlessly, we were able to communicate what was going on. He grabbed his head in his hands and I assumed it was his head as well.

'What is going on?' I asked him mentally.

'I don't know,' was his short reply.

The pain was becoming too much to bear for me and I felt as if I was loosing consciousness, quickly I sent out a large wave of my spiritual pressure hoping for someone to find us.

A wave of blackness fought with me to take over. But before I could be put out by it; I called out for our last chance at help.

'Unohana Taicho, please help us!'

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

'Hyourinmaru, what is going on?' Celest asked.

'I must retreat back to Toshiro, the memories, his memories have began to flood back.'

'_**What?' **_All three occupants of Graciela's mind called at once.

'Well we were talking about it, we were all aware that it should have happened eventually,' Celest tried to rationalize.

'_This shouldn't have happened for another month or so, and slowly at that!' Ry argued, knowing fully this was a bigger problem than Celest was making it to be._

'**Yea! They aren't ready to receive all of this information. The way they view everything could be changed, especially their relationships now with each other and others.'**

'As long as this information doesn't over load their brains and turn them into vegetables it should be fine. They are both strong, besides it would do them good to finally get back to their real physical characteristics.'

'Very well then, Celest. Ry, Ella, try to keep back as many of the memories as you can, unlike Celest I see the importance of this matter. Though she may be right about a few of those points it is no reason to do nothing about this situation. They may be strong but who knows what could happen, events are going to start changing now. Oh and Celest, whatever you do, make sure the two of them do not connect while in this state,' Hyourinmaru warned.

_**'If they haven't already,'**_ Ella added pessimistically.

* * *

_*~Frozen Harmony~*_

What is this? Why is my head killing me? Is Gracie alright? Graciela Ivy Cordina… Why is that name so familiar! I mean I know her but still, there's something else there.

'Toshiro!' I heard a distant voice call.

I was not in my inner world of frozen ice, not safe with Hyourinmaru, I was in a different mind. All the scents, the scenes, the familiarity was not there.

There was sun and moonlight at the same time both beings stuck in an eternal eclipse. There was thunder, lightning, rain, and it smelt of the beach. I looked to where the voice called from, my actions slow for the air was palpable. The rain wasn't falling, it was frozen in the sky, just above my head; in time. There were leaves stuck in midair flight as well. Apparently time, nor gravity, were masters here; for now.

Slowly a familiarity dawned on me, I have been here before, the sand I'm walking on. I have heard the same voice before, in fact I have been around her constantly for a while now and even more in my first life.

The moon in it's glorious mastering over the sun, even the few stars that were peeking from the clouds. I knew everything before, I know everything of this place now.

'Graciela,' I called back. Everything here spoke her name.

I remember now, it's all clear. Finally the time has come. I was transported to our normal meeting spot, now with an orb in the middle frozen over in ice, the only imperfection on the whole smooth surface is a long crack, seemingly shallow, through the middle.

'Shiro,' she called, 'it's been so long. I almost didn't remember our world.'

'I still can't believe our zanpakutos created this place,' I took a step forward, the tension that was between us, dissipating.

'I can't believe that after all this time, it's still here, just as we left it,' she stated, taking a step forward.

'I can't believe it took so long for out memories to come back. I've missed you.'

Gradually, we worked our way towards each other, our bodies began reverting back to their normal heights. Mine around 5'10", taller than Kurosaki. Gracie's a tad shorter, around 5'6". The palpability of the air left and time began to unfreeze, the water began to soak our skin. When we met, I grasped her hands in mine, not wanting to ever let go again, never to forget.

Slowly, we turned, my left hand in her right, and walked to the frozen orb to unlock the rest of the memories, the little things, the powers.

'There's no turning back now if we unlock it.'

'If everything goes the same, then it won't matter, we'll know when to get Aizen, it will work this time.'

'Ready?' She asked.

'Always will be,' I replied.

Together we both placed a hand on the orb, sending our reiatsus into it. When it was my turn, I sent more into the orb. The recognition of my reiatsu allowed the ice to unlock causing the shield to gradually fall off, piece, by piece.

Graciela sent some of hers in shortly after, to widen the break in the orb, eventually allowing our hands to pass through.

'Now.' We said simultaneously.

Ripping our hands out, the memories flooded our senses. The remembrance of every touch, slowly tracing up my arm. The kisses, trailing from my neck to my lips burned with passion and desire. Graciela and I fell into each other, the flood of everything too great. Reaching out to her, I found her hand and grasped it before I fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

It burned. Everywhere on my body burned. It was too much, the memories too much to handle. One by one the events that are yet to happen, and now probably won't, flooded my mind.

"_Alright everybody! The garganta is ripping open there's no time to waste!"_

I remember now, the Summer War in the original universe. Aizen nearly won, thank god for our pocket ace.

_The war was practically over now, most people laid in the ruins of soul society severely wounded or right on the brink of death. My eyes were permanently widened in shock and would probably stay like that once this is over._

"_Gracie," Shiro called._

"_Should we really use that now?" I posed to him._

_He nodded in response so I began my task while he began to replenish his reiatsu and unlock the stored amount within him. I transported all the injured that I could see laying around, which unfortunately included our best healers. I put up a force field to protect them as well as I could. When I made my way over to Shiro again, Aizen was just standing there watching us, observing us and most likely planning twenty steps ahead for every outcome. _

_Someone once said to me, that good chess players play at least five steps ahead but great players plan only a step ahead and that that step was always right. I shivered, the comparability to Aizen was uncanny. _

_'Are you ready?' I sent Shiro the message mentally. _

_'Always will be,' he responded, as per usual. _

"_Bankai!" we shouted. _

_Aizen's eyebrows raised, a good sign or no? Weather or not this was the move he predicted and planned for, it was Aizen so truthfully; one would never know._

"_Yunibāsaru, created only to eliminate, cherished only to despise," I called. _

_The release activated all elements at once and allowed me to use them at their height in power for long periods of time. _

"_Frozen sky, hundred flowers funeral!_" _Toshiro called and activated what is my favorite attack of his. _

_Even in battle I found it amazing how he still managed to think of me. But this time he was taking things too far, even if it works he will end up nearly unconsciousness after the attack. Sometimes I wonder if he even thinks about his well being before protecting everyone else around him. _

_We nodded and began our plan. I transported behind Aizen and sent ice and water flying towards him, the more I sent the more Toshiro was able to use for his attack. Aizen dodged as we thought and fell right into our trap; as unexpected as it was we went along with it. I ignored the nagging feeling that something was up and concentrated on what lay ahead. The combination of the atmospheric vapors and the extra water I was sending to attack, allowed Toshiro to create more of the frozen snow to fall. _

_I could tell Toshiro was a little uneasy because of the possibility of all of this to just be a illusion thanks to Aizen's zanpakuto. Multiple times through our fight I reassured him that it wasn't, having never seen Aizen's release I was under no effect of any of his illusions. _

_I battered Aizen with attack after attack, electric wind especially to keep his muscles from working correctly so his attempts to get away would fail. I was starting to become strained when Toshiro informed me that there were only 10 more flakes left. It was easy to tell we were wearing down rather rapidly now; most of our reiatsu used up. I sucked it up and called Ella into play, the remnants of my hollow mask appearing. Once I felt the newly refreshed power surging through me I charged at Aizen. Swinging down my sword I cut him from left shoulder to right hip, not the deepest cut but enough to make it sting and want to make even the toughest want to wither in pain. _

_It was a different story with Aizen, he just stood there and, for lack of a better term; took it like a man. My sadistic qualities shone through and pushed me to become frustrated. Which resulted in me using my mental powers to invade Aizen's mind, breaking the promise I made to Shiro at the same time. _

_It was possible that Aizen's illusions could work on me by our minds connected, but I didn't care. The fight was nearly over and I had to get some sort of reaction out of Aizen other than more of his blood spilling. _

_I sped through his mind, unlocking every old, tortuous, painful memory I could find. Following a path towards a large source of energy within him, I opened up any mental wounds that I could find. Eventually I made it to the immense energy source, a pure pitch black orb inside a pure white cube floating above my head. It was slowly cracking open, which I assumed was my own doing at the time. Figuring it would cause him the most harm when it finally opened up, I left his mind when Toshiro frantically called me out. _

_When I regained my own eye sight, the last flake fell and as Aizen collapsed I sent a stream of fire to incinerate his body to be sure that this was over once and for all. _

"_We did it," Toshiro called. _

_With a huge smile on my face I deactivated the force field, where some of the healers with minute injuries were beginning to help others. _

_I met Toshiro, still floating above the remnants of seireitei, and we embraced. I wrapped my arms around his neck while his snaked around my waist. Our foreheads touching, we leaned in for a few quick kisses. I ended it, needed to respond to his earlier statement._

"_Toshiro Hitsugaya, in all the time I've known you, it wasn't until recently that I thought I would ever been saying this."_

"_And that is?" he interrupted with the gorgeous smile of his on his face. _

"_Shaddup and let me finish will you?" _

"_Be my guest," he joked._

_I heaved a sigh, finally ready to tel him, finally sure of my self, "Toshiro I-"_

"_Did you honestly think you could get rid of me like that?" Aizen called emotionlessly. _

_The entire area went dead silent, the small commotions and cheers that it was finally over, abruptly stopped._

"_Did you really think that the hogyoku wouldn't form with my soul? That it didn't?"_

_I was too stunned to say anything, let alone do anything. Toshiro stepped forward as if he was ready to attack; though we both knew he was too shot to do anything. _

_Before I could pull him back, Aizen shunpo'd and stabbed him through the stomach, pulling up in his sword up through his body until Toshiro fell off and landed on the ground far below with a sickening __**thud.**_

_With tears in my eyes I glared at Aizen before transporting myself to where Toshiro fell. I landed on my feet right next to him, looking down upon him I realized how bad off he really was, and collapsed to my knees under the weight of immense sadness. _

_I buried my head in his chest, my arms wrapped around him, or what was left of him for that matter. The tears I was crying; the worst ever. There was fear, anger, sadness, everything mixed into one hell of an emotional breakdown. _

_'Gracie,' Toshiro's voice rang through my mind. _

_'Shiro… no… oh please no!' I cried back to him._

_'Hyourinmaru is talking to Celest now. We are going to use the rest of our reiatsu to save everyone.'_

_'As long as I go along side you I'll agree to whatever they decide to do.'_

_I relaxed into Toshiro as Celest brought us into our shared world. _

_'Gracie are you sure that you agree?' Celest posed._

_'Of course. If it is going to save everyone I don't care what happens.'_

_'Alright.' _

_'So what exactly is the plan?' Toshiro asked._

_Hyourinmaru answered, 'with the remainder of our reiatsu we are going to literally freeze time, then slowly Celest is going to destroy the universe, and allow it to revert back to the original elements so it can restart again. The memories, of everything that has just occurred will be locked within this world, this special bond between the two of you. When the time comes, the memories will come back and this will revert back to the way it was before. Until you both remember, the sequence of the new universe will go exactly the same as this one has gone. Once you both remember, things will begin to change from the way this has been; for the time after the last reset was never mapped out or explored. But do not forget that the two of you are responsible for the fate of the world. Once this universal 'reset' as you can call it, happens, it cannot ever be made again. The ability to destroy the universe will be trapped within three swords, to ensure that if you fail yet again, it truly is the end. Now are you both absolutely sure you want to go through with this? You will forget each other and-'_

_'We'll do it,' Toshiro and I both interrupted. _

_To justify my choice I added, 'and eventually we will meet again, we will remember again and we will have the future in our hands.'_

_'It's final then,' Celest concluded._

_Slowly the inner world shrank away and my vision returned. Lifting my head up, I could feel the fabric of the time space continuum falling apart and reversing as well as my memories slipping away. _

_The last thing I heard was Aizen's maniacal laughter. The last thing I saw was Aizen issuing his final attack on Soul Society, a blast, equivalent to nearly 100 atomic bombs in the human world. A white light before, finally, my last memories drained away and I collapsed back onto Toshiro. _

Little did I know but time reverted its self, the fundamental basis of life breaking down to be reformed again. Space fell in on its self until a single countdown was left until the formation of our universe. The immediate expansion of the universe, a second big bang, sent the new universe onto the same track. The same fate foreshadowing catastrophe.


	8. Chapter 8: Orbit

Eeeeeeep! Thanks Maii04 for adding my story.  
Seriously guys, I live for subscribers and people who add me, it makes me inspired and want to write more haha.  
So thanks again, this chapter's for you :D  
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

Meanwhile, in head commanders office…

"What do you mean a group of people invaded? We have been on high alert since Aizen faked his death now all of a sudden- almost four months later- a group of _teenagers_ somehow breaks through our shields!" Renji announced loudly once Head Captain started the meeting.

"Bite your tongue boy," Yamamoto soutaicho responded back harshly.

Everyone in the room, excluding Yamamoto since he was sitting, experienced a slight buckling of their knees. A dense and extremely strong spiritual pressure exploded throughout seireitei. All members were quite aware that it wasn't any of the ryoka's; seeing and they could not control their reiatsu. Everyone was wondering silently for a moment about who's it could be until the pieces slowly began to fall together.

"Wait where's Snowy-taicho?" Yachiru called out.

"Who?" A few members called out simultaneously.

"Captain Hitsugaya," Kenpachi responded to them; translating Yachiru's nickname.

"I thought I saw him!" Chojiro defended; it was his job to make sure all members were there before Yamamoto started the meeting. Yamamoto sent him a slight glare while thinking, 'how could he _think_ that he saw a captain. Doesn't he pay attention?'

"Well he's short enough that we wouldn't really notice since we're all standing," Matsumoto stage whispered to Renji, but loud enough for Hisagi to hear and chuckle along with them. Of the few others that heard they stifled their laughs, Yamamoto again responded with a glare.

"This is no time for jokes," he said sternly. The members he was addressing just straightened their posture and raised their heads slightly in attention.

Yamamoto was about to send a search for the absent member but Unohana answered his unasked question.

"Isane, hurry we have to go!" Unohana cried to her lieutenant.

"What's going on, why do you wish to leave?" Yamamoto called back.

"It's Graciela, she sent me a message. She called out for help. It was Graciela's spiritual pressure that erupted moments ago. "

"Go." Yamamoto ordered, "Now for the rest of you. Search out the ryoka and if they do not agree to come with you peacefully, do not hesitate to fight them for they might be the cause of Graciela and Hitsugaya's call for help."

"Hai." The rest agreed and filed out.

* * *

"Oh my gosh." Isane gasped when she saw Toshiro and Graciela sprawled on the ground right outside the fourth division gates.

"Quickly, you get Graciela, I'll take Hitsugaya taicho."

Both picked up the aforementioned, respectively. Directly after, they rushed to two separate rooms. Graciela's room is located the room directly across from Momo's, Toshiro's is down the hall a few rooms and to the right of Gracie's.

Both medical women went straight to work, first checking the vital signs and for any disruption in the flow of reiatsu. Isane just assumed Graciela was fine because no one can sense her spiritual pressure, she presumed it a good sign since it wasn't wildly fluctuating. There were no lacerations or burns on the visible skin and no sights of injection or forced pressure on a certain point; resulting in confusion over what happened to the two in both women.

"Graciela is stable," Isane reported back to Unohana Taicho after a few minutes.

"I heard all the commotion, is everything alright?" Momo asked walking in.

Unohana jumped up and spoke serenely, "Hinamori fukutaicho, you know you should be in bed and I suggest you return there now. No need for you to put your well being at sake. Everything is fine for now and you can ask Hitsugaya Taicho here, or Graciela, what happened when they wake up."

"Yes ma'am." Momo managed to choke out before she left.

* * *

"What do you mean Kurotsuchi was defeated?" Yamamoto raged.

"W-well, you see sir, uhm-" a quivering messenger began.

"Spit it out boy!" Yamamoto interrupted.

"Therewasquincyandhe-"

"So I can understand you…" he ordered impatiently.

The messenger boy heaved a sigh and continued at a slower pace, "there was a quincy, one of the ryoka, and he started to fight Kurotsuchi Taicho because he wanted revenge for the murder of his grandfather. The quincy defeated him but left Kurotsuchi taicho alive."

"You may go," Yamamoto declared.

* * *

'Things are already beginning to change Hyourinmaru, I can sense it.'

'Celest what have we begun?"

'My impatience and negligence has greatly cost us. We will no longer be able to plan things out based on the way they went, everything that lies ahead is a guessing game.'

'At least we know the hogyoku will become one with Aizen,' Hyourinmaru added optimistically.

_**'Unless we can find a way to stop it,'**_ Ry and Ella mentioned at the same time. All doubting the possibility but still hanging on to the last thread of hope they have left.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

Wow, all of those memories and emotions. But why does it feel like it never really happened to me? I mean, I know that I experienced it but it feels so distant. Maybe because those chances haven't happened yet in this universe, especially with Toshiro. We really got involved, huh… Speaking of which, I wonder if he is awake, well erm, awake in our inner world? Yea that sounds right.

I sat up abruptly and looked around, Toshiro was beginning to stir as well. When he finally sat up we looked at each other and I felt my face redden. I hid behind my hair, something I only do when embarrassed, so I couldn't tell if Toshiro's cheeks turned a different hue as well.

"Well this is awkward," I mentioned.

"Yea… I can't believe that they kept all of that from us."

"I know," I said, coming out from behind my shield of hair.

Ah, and the awkward silence ensues.

"You know how Celest said that things will begin to alter when we find out the memories?" I posed, the logical part of my mind beginning to work again.

"Yes, and?"

"Well what if things already started to change? We got the memories so fast couldn't it drastically effect how things are going?"

"Hm, good point," Toshiro responded.

More silence, but I began to wonder…

* * *

_*~Frozen Harmony~*_

So Gracie and I… we're supposed to be going out. I'm supposed to be in love with her, I should know everything about her. Which I do since the memories came back but… nothing is there. I don't know her yet I know her better than anyone else? Just how long exactly were we together in the original universe because I don't believe that a week is enough time to form that kind of relationship.

I glanced up at her and she looked into my eyes.

"You're thinking the same thing I'm thinking right now aren't you?" she asked.

I sent her a cold glare, "I don't appreciate you reading my thoughts."

How did I ever come to like someone who did that? I thought.

"I wasn't reading your mind, you're just that easy to read," she smirked.

Question 2, why did I love when she used to make that face.

"Oh really now?"

"Yea really," She retorted with.

"Some intelligent remark that was."

She scoffed and I smirked in victory. She looked over to me quickly and I broadened my smirk.

"What do you think you are smirking at? Ugh! How did I ever fall in love with someone like you?"

"Wait, you loved me back?"

"Duh! I thought you were a 'child prodigy' here. I was going to tell you too until Aizen had to ruin our little fun fest."

Deciding to try a small experiment, I shunpo'd to Gracie and picked her up in my arms like I did in the original universe, even now the fact that her body fits perfectly with mine surprises me. Looking straight into her eyes I wrapped my arms around her waist comfortably and leant down to kissed her. Graciela, probably too shocked, didn't do anything but I still had to see for myself. After a few seconds I made my conclusion. Unlike before there was no spark, not even a response back from her, nothing.

Nothing that is, until Gracie slapped me.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

He. Kissed. Me.

"What the hell Toshiro?" I exclaimed after slapping him.

"What? I was just trying something out!" Was his 'intelligent remark'.

"You used my body, my _first kiss_, to try out some sick experiment of yours?" I said backing away.

"It wasn't your first kiss! There have ben plenty of other times when we-" I interrupted Toshiro here, oh how wrong was he.

"That was then and this is now! I don't know you but I do know you. Better, in fact, than any one else. But I learned all that in the original universe and memories are nothing like experiencing it! We didn't experience it in this life time nor gave it a chance to happen! Stop trying to force things when they just aren't right!"

He argued back, "well if your logic is correct then we wont experience it in this life, so a little test like that should mean nothing!"

"Oh it means something alright," I said, slowly working my way over to him again.

'Alright kids! I think you guys should take a break eventually you will both come back to your senses. So for now, bye!'

"Celest!" both Toshiro and I called before successfully being kicked out of our inner world and into a state of memory filled sleep.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

Out on sokyoku hill…

"Where is she? Where's Rukia?" the orange haired kid screamed.

"How do you know my name?" Rukia called as she moved out from behind the protective stance of her adoptive brother; curious.

"So the old man wasn't lying," he said under his breath, "can you really help us?" he questioned while walking towards her.

The stupidity of his action dawned upon the kid a second too late when his arms and legs were caught by four other members of the court guard. He ended up with Rukia's blade to his neck and a threatening glare playing in her eyes.

"Who exactly are you and how do you know my name. I demand an answer now or my blade will be the last you ever see," Rukia replied. The kid gulped as the severity of her words sunk in.

"That is enough Rukia," Byakuya stated simply, "take him away."

But the kid wouldn't have it, he began to struggle with the members holding him. As the rest of the people who came with him were taken away as well, he began to scream and ramble.

"He said that you were the only person who could help us! That you would be able to lead us to the higher-ups here! Above all he said that we would be welcomed here even though we had to enter in such a wa. He said that he trusted you to do those things for him!"

"Who exactly is he?" Rukia yelled at him.

"Kaien Shiba."

* * *

Celest had materialized up above the scene and watched it unfold. When she finally had had enough she transported back to the inner world to meet with Ry, Ella and Hyourinmaru.

'Is there any thing different?' Hyourinmaru asked.

'There was a group of teenagers who claimed that Kaien Shiba gave them their powers and sent them here to find Rukia. Kaien died in the original universe, could Rukia have spared his life here and he just went into hiding? I really should have thought twice before I warned Yamamoto, I'm sorry guys; this really is all my fault.'

'No Celest, you have no reason to be sorry. Thinking about it now, if you didn't say anything; we would have been waiting for three years before Aizen attacked. Weather or not Gracie and Toshiro got there memories back this soon would have been debatable as well. But most importantly, Aizen most likely would have won. Even though we know what would be coming, we still have no way of countering it. Now though, by your little slip up; we have the time to teach them the techniques,' were his reassuring words of choice.

'_You have a good point Hyourinmaru but if things start changing; couldn't Aizen end up stronger as well?' _Ry posed.

'Yes, I suppose there is the possibility of that; but we will be ready for whatever he has up his sleeve.'

'Still, like always; there is no guarantee,' Hyourinmaru thought out loud.

* * *

_*~ Graceful Melody~*_

What a waste of a day and my sleep wasn't even relaxing; it was just full of memories. I thought to myself before I opened my eyes; accepting the fact that I had to wake up sometime.

Sun rays were streaming through the window above my all too familiar hospital bed, unfortunately the window was open as well and let in the mid November air. It was crisp and, right now, refreshing. But I shut it nonetheless for I knew that it would eventually chill me to the bone. I felt serene, looking out the window people watching until I turned my head when I felt the pressure of the person I wanted to see the least.

"Welcome back sleeping beauty," Toshiro said sarcastically while smirking.

"Ah crap, well aren't you just the face I wanted to see when I woke up," I rolled my eyes at him.

Ever since we regained the memories he has acted way too confident around me, like he thought I was putty in his hands. It was really starting to get annoying.

"You know you love it," he joked.

"Stop being so formal with me, I don't know you!" I finally snapped, "you may think I do but I don't and I have the feeling that you are undergoing the same kind of confusion," I instantly regretted yelling at him, but my confusion clouded out my good judgement.

He gained an icy glint in his eyes but it disappeared as fast as it came when he opened his mouth to speak. He shut it, opening it again once more to say, "you're right."

"I think that right now, we should take some time off like Celest said. Let the memories fully sink in but put them at the back of our minds. Then when everything gets back to normal we can start things over again. This time, in this universe, actually get to know each other? Yea the memories and feelings are going to be hard to deny, but we will have to to be able to successfully get to know each other in an unbiased way."

"Go backwards to go forwards?" he asked, practically reading my mind.

"Exactly," I smiled.

So there is hope for us after all.

"I suppose that when we are out of here you will come to help in my office again? I could still use the extra hand when doing paper work," Toshiro asked.

I allowed a devious expression to form on my face, prediction Toshiro's response, "it's a date."

"But I thought you said-" I just giggled while Unohana Taicho ushered him out.

"Hitsugaya Taicho! You should not be out of your room so soon! Just a final check up in an hour or so and then you can go!" When he left she turned to me, "good morning Graciela."

"Morning Unohana Taicho, check up or something?"

Isane walked in as Unohana began to speak, "or something is more like it. During the few hours after your collapse, it appears that Hitsugaya Taicho grew a staggering foot and a half and well, we came to check if you grew at all as a result of whatever happened to the two of you."

Okay, so it wasn't my messed up mind playing tricks on me; Toshiro actually grew.

"So if you would please stand up," Isane asked.

"Surely!" So that makes Shiro what, 5'10" now? Wow they really restricted his power.

Yep, Celest and Hyourinmaru decided it would be beneficial to lock some of our strength away. As a result of that, our height was restricted and we would stop growing at a certain point until our memories returned. I still don't understand why they barely locked any of mine away, I thought I would have been around the same heigh as Toshiro, not nearly a whole foot taller.

Standing up, I clearly towered over Unohana taicho when before, she was eye level to me.

"I see that you did grow. Isane, how tall is she now?" Isane held a measuring tape up to my head and had me step on the other end to secure it on the ground.

"Five feet and six inches,"and all those doctors said I wouldn't continue to grow, ha, I laugh at them.

"Hm… very well then. Please lay back down, I will be coming to check on you later. Then you may leave."

"Thank you!" I called while she shut the door.

We're now both at our normal heights, hmm if Shiro got to try something out, I should be able to as well, right? Right. My logic seemed sound enough to me so I sat up on my bed and transported myself to Toshiro's room.

"Hi," I said as he jumped.

"What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to take some time off?"

"I do, I just want to see something. Stand up," I asked, though partially commanded.

Toshiro obliged and I stood up facing him, now looking up.

"Do you remember this?" He asked.

"Yea," I admitted and blushed.

I put my arms around his neck while his slid onto and around my hips, leaning in, I rested my head on his chest while his chin was protectively upon my head. I shivered at the recognition of this action, but smiled to myself because we both knew the way our relationship should, and I will admit; hopefully turn out. Although the kiss was different, this has the same calming effect it had always had on me. Somewhere I heard an, _'Awwww~,' _from deep in my mind.

I pulled away from him when he stiffened, as if he was repulsed by this action. Looking back at him, something was missing, a warmth that was emanating before from his eyes was now replaced with something else; a different presence. His eyes gained this frosty gleam in them and before I knew it, he was glaring ice daggers through my soul. The room dropped at least twenty degrees before I opened my mouth to talk.

"Toshiro?" I questioned.

"It's Hitsugaya taicho to you, don't forget it," he dropped his hands and backed away from me, with a disgusted look on his face.

"Are you really that serious about this whole starting over thing that you are going to put up your shields for me to break down again?" I said through the hurt I was feeling. This small action, this distance hurt for some reason. As much as I tried to deny it, it was because of the old feelings which I know I will never be able to suppress fully.

I know that I love him.

He didn't say anything, but his smirk grew until the point where it was almost sinister.

Thinking nothing of it, I transported out extremely pissed, "fine. Whatever you say captain Hitsugaya," I added in a mocking tone.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

"He's fighting against your power, but for now it should keep hold over his conscious and emotions."

"Well done, when you return home with her, her loneliness will be exactly what I will use to get her to side with us."

"I'll make it a point to talk to her when she's about to break. For now she's in the room right next door, but I'm not sure how long that will last."

"As expected, all is going accordingly."

"Only because you planned it my love."

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

I transported back into my room, a perplexed scowl on my face hiding the hurt I felt inside. Even though we were going to start over I feel like he is taking too much of a step back, even when we first met he never held that distant look in his eyes when he looked at me.

Back in the original universe, the day after I helped out Unohana taicho was the day I was transferred into the 10th division, to permanently help out. I dozed off to the memory:

"_This is your room from now on," Toshiro said opening the door. _

_When I walked through I just gaped in amazement. It was at least 5 feet bigger on all sides than my room in the eleventh. There was a huge queen sized ebony bed a few feet to the right of the door, perfectly centered on the wall. The bed spread was a caribbean blue with white and black striped throw pillows. Across from the bed was literally a wall of floor to ceiling windows with the same hue of blue silk curtains in front of thick white and black striped ones. There was a small black leather loveseat under the windows with an ebony desk on the perpendicular wall with a black leather chair behind it. The walls were a darker blue but still reminded me of the Caribbean ocean._

"_Thank you Hitsugaya taicho, I love it," I said moving over to the windows. _

_I peered out and the entirety of the tenth divisions court yard was on view before me. Every single magnolia, daisy, lily, and the enormous amounts of daffodils; it truly amazed me. Especially all the different colors of the plants and even the insects, specifically butterflies. My favorite part though, is the fountain, it was nearly as big as my room with wide sides perfect for sitting on. _

"_I'm glad you have taken a liking to it," I looked straight in his eyes, the way you should whenever one talks to someone. Before he moved his gaze to slightly above my eyes I was able to tell that he is really a caring person. Not truly the cold exterior he puts up everyday for respect._

"_If you need any assistance my Vice Captain, Matsumoto, is five rooms down to your left. I am am right across the hall."_

_He exited without my answer, but I did not notice, nor care, at the time. _

_I noticed a set of french doors on the wall across from the desk along with a single one. My curiosity peaking, I opened the french doors first. It was a huge walk in closet! The most surprising thing about it, was that it was already filled. _

_Perplexed, I didn't have to wait long to find my answer._

_As I checked the other door, a medium sized bathroom with a shower and such, my door slammed open. _

"_Gracie~" _

"_Hi Matsumoto!" I called, it was obvious who it was._

"_Call me Rangiku."_

"_Surely," I shrugged, peeking my head out of the bathroom door._

"_Well I'm heading out with some of the other leuitenants for drinks do you want to come?"_

"_Sorry, but I don't drink," I replied to her with an apologetic smile._

"_Alright, well; see you soon!"_

"_Bye Mats- I mean Rangiku!" I called as she ducked out the door, I remembered what I was going to ask her so I ran to the bedroom door a split second later and yelled down the hallway, "where are all the clothes from?"_

"_Me, duh!" was her fading answer._

I woke up smiling. It was silly but it marked the beginning of my life with Toshiro and Rangiku, and it was a crazy one at that.

"Graciela?" I heard a strong voice call, along with a soft knock; a very contradicting motion.

"Come in!" I said, sitting up high on the bed.

Vice Captain Sasakibe walked in, "Yamamoto soutaicho sent me here to tell you that he has placed you in the tenth division. He felt like you and Hitsugaya taicho should be close together by the chance that anything were to happen again to either or you. When Unohana taicho releases the two of you, you will be shown around."

"Alright, thank you." Can you say repeat? I thought things were supposed to be changing? I mentally asked.

Surprisingly, Celest answered, 'the situation is different this time. Now its for surveillance, then it was because that's where guests normally stay, also because you would always help out with their paperwork.'

I have the feeling that paperwork is still going to be involved some way or another. Celest just laughed while I sweat-dropped.

No more than a mere minute after Sasakibe Fukutaicho left, Yachiru walked in.

"Hi Gracie," she said almost bashfully.

"Hey Chi, come and sit." I offered. She bounced up onto the bed.

"So what's up?" I asked.

"I'm sowee Gracie! I should have been watching over you like 'ol Yama told me to but I didn't and now you're going to the tenth division and you're in the hospital and I'm going to loose my friend!" Chi said with tears threatening to spill over.

"Oh Chi! None of this was your fault! I went to visit Hitsugaya Taicho without you knowing and it was my bad choice why I'm in here."

"But why do you have to go to the tenth division then?" She asked with a stubborn pout on her face.

"I have to go because Toshiro and I are always getting sick at the same time for some reason, and Yamamoto Soutaicho thought that it would be a good idea to keep the two of us together. But don't worry, I'll come see you at least once a week and I'll bring you some candy. Actually no," I added as a second thought, "I know how to make rock candy, so we can make some!"

"Alright!" Yachiru screamed while fist pumping.

I giggled as she hopped off the bed, "see you soon Grace~!"

To think she was about to cry a few minutes ago.

* * *

_*~Frozen Harmony~*_

I opened my eyes, I was locked within my own subconscious, by whom or what; I could not answer. I struggled to release myself from the cuffs holding my hands together. My feet were bound in the same predicament.

I called out to Hyourinmaru, but I received no answer in return. In case he was just ignoring me again I tried to reach either Celest or Ry, even Ella; but no answer came.

"It's useless," called a voice. The voice belonged to a male, it was rough; unlike any I have heard before.

"Who are you?" I called out angrily.

Seemingly ignoring me the voice continued its rant, "you cannot help her from here, and I will answer your -unasked- questions; I will not tell you what I'm doing or who I am. Where would the fun be in that? No, I know where the fun is, I'll show you. The best part is, no mater what happens, you won't be able to do anything until it's too late. So just sit back and enjoy the show."

I began to question him again but my vision was restored, but it was a complete out-of-body experience. I watched myself get up off the gurney, but I did not direct my body to do so. Before long the door opened and Gracie was waiting.

"Captain Hitsugaya I was informed that I have been transferred to your division and that you will show me to my room."

What? Gracie was switched into my division? Well, last time she was switched in because she became the main person to help me with the mounds of paperwork dropped on my shoulders. Speaking of which there is no way Matsumoto has done any paperwork the past day and a half. I wonder how much is sitting on my desk now?

"Of course. I will show you to the office, from there Matsumoto will show you the rest of our division, as well as your room."

"You won't even show her around? Ya' lazy bum," I called out mentally to the voice in anger. I was seething right now, just as things between the two of us began to look better, he comes along and takes over my body. Great, just great.

"Very well then, shall I follow you?" Gracie replied, emotionally detached.

She was hiding her feelings, very well might I add. Normally when she does so she fidgets and becomes unsure of herself, now she was standing with perfect posture and a slightly clenched jaw. She was angry?

"Yes," 'I' replied.

'I' walked in front of her the whole way to the gates of the fourth division. She was following silently, an action she would normally not have done. Unless she is taking starting over deadly serious? But that wouldn't cause her to become angry, it was her idea anyway.

"It would be too long to walk back, meet me at the office," 'I' ordered. It was strange, this person put up my shields and normally cold demeanor. Albeit, I was never this bad with the people I was familiar with.

"Hai Captain Hitsugaya."

The scenery began to blur as 'I' took off towards my squad. When we approached the gates, I noticed Gracie standing patiently outside, it was obvious that she transported there.

"What do you think you're doing?" the person who took over my body screamed at Gracie.

"I am waiting for you to show me around," Graciela replied.

She was starting to loose her calm, her jaw becoming more clenched and she open and closed her hands into fists. I could tell she was thinking horrible things about me, and it's times like these where I wish I was the one who could read her mind.

"No, you got here before me. Never do that again, ever," was his harsh reply. But it sounded more like a warning with a threatening undertone.

"Yes Hitsugaya Taicho," she said between clenched teeth.

My body again moved forwards to the office where Matsumoto was laying on the couch reading a magazine.

"Matsumoto," he said coldly, "get over here and show Gracie to her room. Now."

"Uhh, yes?" Matsumoto stood up and replied.

She looked towards Gracie, it was obvious she wanted answers for she was wearing her 'what-the-hell?' face. Gracie shook her head but that motion didn't go without notice from who ever was in my body.

"Are you mocking me," he asked crazily.

"No sir."

"You just don't get it do you. Respect me, I am your Captain and I demand the respect I have earned!" My voice rang out mightily through the office. Paying specific attention to Gracie, I barely noticed Matsumoto exiting the room to stand out side the door in the hall. Something snapped inside Gracie and she took on an aggressive pose.

"No Hitsugaya, you don't get it," I could tell whoever was in my head was seething at this, my eyes widened in response to his shock, "I have done everything I can, even starting over for you but you know what? You aren't worth it. I can't believe I didn't see before that this is truly the way you treat your subordinates and people you consider as your 'friends'. I'm so done with you. I may not be able to switch out of this division but don't think that I will ever speak to you again."

"How dare you say that," he raged, "how-" but Gracie interrupted him, a smug look on her face.

"I. Just. Did." before she could fully turn I noticed an arm, MY arm, flying out towards her.

'Gracie, no!' I screamed mentally.

The office went deathly silent.

'You bastard,' I mentally seethed. He was laughing right now and between fits was hysterically saying things along the lines of, 'she got what she deserved.'

I was kicking, and trashing against the holds so I could beat the crap out of whoever was in my head. A small, but still powerful voice rang through and snapped me back to reality.

"Asshole!" she screamed, throwing her hands up in there air. She wasn't crying yet, but tears were threatening to spill over.

"I trusted you, loved you. But no this is it. Never. I mean, never, speak to me again. That's it I'm done. Screw you Toshiro."

She stormed out the door to Matsumoto; who saw everything. She sent me gold glare but the man just chuckled.

'I hate you whoever you are. When I do find out who this is, I will find you and I will kill you*.'

The man scoffed, 'good luck with that.'

He moved my body to sit down and the desk and began my paperwork.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

"I can't believe it Rangiku," I said when I reached my new room. Exactly the same one as in the original universe.

"Something is seriously wrong with captain, he would never-"

I interrupted her, "but he did Rangiku. He slapped me. I can't believe him. I-, I-," I broke down.

Rangiku gathered me into her arms and soothingly stroked my hair.

"Just calm down, everything will be alright. It will all me normal eventually."

'No it won't…' I replied mentally.

Before long I had cried out every tear in my body and Rangiku left me so I could think some things through. Eventually though, I fell asleep. Well more like_ cried_ myself to sleep.

The week went fast, avoiding Captain Hitsugaya took more work than I had originally planned for. The day after the 'incident', as Rangiku and I came to call it, I called in sick. Every time Unohana Taicho came to check on me I used fire to heat my core body temperature and water to make it appear that I was sweating. Of course I still had Rangiku deliver paperwork, though I wasn't doing it for Hitsugaya Taicho, I was doing it to give Rangiku less work. I wanted her away from the Captain as much as she could be. Today, she brought her paperwork in here to work on with me. After letting her in I locked the door then sent a constant electrical current through the knob just incase a certain someone decided to pay a visit.

"Rangiku I finished my pile, do you want me to take some of yours?" I asked. These kinds of conversations being the only real ones we have had while she is in here with me.

"No Gracie, I think that you should go somewhere to relax."

"Well where would I go? I haven't seen Chi but the way I am acting she would definitely become suspicious. How about I just stay here and finish your work?" I tempted her.

"I am not falling for that, no way am I taking that bait. How about Momo-chan? She should be up for a good chat no?"

"Good idea, thank you Rangiku," I said moving over to give the woman a death grip hug of my own.

Maybe that wasn't the best idea because she just hugged me back, harder.

"Rangiku… can't… breath… oxygen!" I called.

"Sorry Gracie~!"

"Okay, I'm out. If Captain comes by tell him you took me to the fourth division because I was feeling worse."

"Alrighty then! See ya soon."

"Momo-chan?" Called as I knocked on her door.

"Oh Gracie, is that you?"

"Yea."

"Come on in."

When I walked in I saw her sitting on the side of the bed with her Vice Captain's haori on.

"Are you being discharged?"

"Yea in a few minutes why?"

"I-," I stopped unsure of weather or not to tell Momo about what captain Hitsugaya did.

"Oh Gracie are you alright! You're crying!" she said coming to my side.

Strange, I didn't even notice the tears.

"No Momo I'm not alright, Captain Hitsugaya he-," I coughed here, my voice not wanting me to say anymore, "he slapped me and now I just don't know what to do. Momo what should I do, was he ever like this when you were with him?"

A look of shock flew across Momo's face.

"You mean he did it to you too?"

Now it was my turn for shock to play onto my face. Even though in the original universe there was never any hint of Captain being abusive, it was obvious he hid it well. Hearing this I used it as my life saver, I held onto it, needing more than anything to hear what Momo was going to say.

"I thought he grew out of it when we were kids but apparently not, oh I'm so sorry for you!" Momo cried as I latched onto her in some form of a hug.

I leaned down to her level and she whispered into my ear when my sobs died down, "do you just want to get away? I'll take you where I have been going to get away from the craziness of everything here."

"Would you really do that for me?" I asked, astonished at her extreme kindness.

"Of course, Gracie. You're such a good friend to me how could I not do so for you. Just follow me."

"Okay," I said wiping the tears from my eyes.

We stepped into the hallway, it was empty. Momo nodded and opened up this purple-ish portal thing.

"What is that?" I asked warily.

"Garganta," Momo replied easily, "it will get us there faster."

"Oh, okay," I replied, just wanting to leave it all and get out of here already.

Momo hopped in and offered me her hand. As I was about to take it I spotted white out of the corner of my eye, I turned and instantly wanted to throw up.

It was Hitsugaya Taicho.

Not caring for anything right now, I did the only thing I could think of.

* * *

_*~Frozen Harmony~*_

'Well champ, it appears my time here is over. Hopefully soon you will see my master, too bad you wont be able to 'kill me' though. He will surely kill you first.'

I began to lose the out of body feeling as the bindings on my hands and feet when a final warning was sent from him.

'I hope you won't mind but we are borrowing that lady friend of yours, you know the one you hit. Have fun without her.' He replied lightly.

I don't know why but when he ended his threat I pictured Gin waving his hand in his floppy goodbye manner.

"Gracie!" I cried out loud when I realized what he meant.

Quickly flash stepping to her room I stopped at the door when I noticed her presence wasn't there, only Matsumoto's reiatsu.

"Matsumoto, where is Gracie?"

"Fourth division. She was feeling sick," 'ya okay.'

"Okay, thank you."

I took off as fast as I could to the fourth. I barged through the doors and a shocked Isane awaited me.

"Hitsugaya Taicho!" she called but I was gone.

I sensed Momo's reiatsu near Gracie's presence. I also sensed Isane and Unohana taicho following me down the halls.

When I reached Momo's hallway I could not believe my eyes. Momo was in a garganta holding her hand out to Gracie. It was obvious Gracie sensed my reiatsu for she turned and glared directly at me. I was about to say something but Gracie beat me to it with a simple action.

She flipped me off.

Then grinned, but it was sad and remorseful.

Then took Momo's hand and walked, almost begrudgingly; into the garganta.

Unohana taicho and Isane got there in time to see the garganta close.

"What just happened Captain Hitsugaya?" Isane asked.

"Momo, no, Hinamori Fukutaicho just became a traitor and she abducted Graciela Ivy Cordina."

"Isane, hurry, go inform Yamamoto soutaicho," Unohana Taicho instructed.

When Isane left, Unohana gently asked me, "are you sure Graciela didn't decide to go herself."

"She decided to go, but it was Hinamori's doings, she must have convinced Gracie to go somewhere with her. Gracie doesn't know of gargantas and where they lead to so she is not to be held at fault or be marked as a traitor," I replied distantly.

"Very well then."

A hell butterfly fluttered down, 'EMERGENCY MEETING FOR ALL SEATED MEMBERS PLUS ALL CAPTAINS AND LIEUTENANTS OF THE GOTEI 13.'

Shit.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

"Here we are Gracie~" Momo called.

"Where exactly is this?" I asked nervously, there was huge spiritual pressure everywhere.

"Welcome to Hueco Mundo," Momo grinned while opening to giant double doors to reveal a monumental room with 10 hollow looking creatures sitting around a long rectangular desk. At the front of the desk three shinigami were standing. Instantly I regretted coming here, I knew I was tricked.

Momo ran over to the man with glasses and hugged him, receiving a kiss on the lips moments later.

"Welcome Graciela, I am Aizen, this is Gin and Tosen. You know my darling Momo here and well," he mentioned to he hollows, "these are my Espada."

Ah, crap.

* * *

LONGEST CHAPTER WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :D  
hahahah.

*Kind of a reference to the movie Taken. It's three am and I wanted to put in some dark irony.

Graciela's dramatic flaw is revealed here and it will be playing out through her time in Hueco Mundo ;]  
Hope y'all enjoyed it!


	9. Chapter 9: Nebula

Look forward to Thursday updates.  
The 'In Between the Lines' chapter is now a story and I should be updating my new idea's first chapter shortly. :)

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

"Why are the ryoka here?" Renji called out. Starting off the meeting same as the last time.

"How many times do I need to tell you to watch your mouth!" Head Commander Yamamoto called in response. "Now, Ichigo, would you care to tell us what happened?"

"Yea, I woke up this morning and there was a letter from Orihime Inoue underneath my pillow. She was permitted to only say goodbye to one person, who so happened to be me. All I know is that she is gone, to where I do not know," Ichigo said angrily.

"Do you know who took her?" Yamamoto soutaicho inquired.

"It's the same as where she is; I don't know."

Toshiro's eyes widened at the possibility that Gracie isn't the only one Aizen is going to use. His mind began to whirl with different reasons as to why both girls are needed for Aizen's plan. Even with combined memories form the original universe, the possible outcome of this situation is impossible to determine.

"Now Captain Hitsugaya, what is your story?" Yamamoto asked.

"Graciela Ivy Cordina," yes the formalities are completely necessary in captains meetings, "left with Hinamori fukutaicho to Hueco Mundo."

Multiple gasps flew from the mouths of multiple Gotei 13 members, the loudest coming from Yachiru who looks like she is going to burst into tears.

"However, I don't believe that Graciela left on her own accord, considering she doesn't know what gargantas are and she was in a state of emotional instability she should not be marked as a traitor. It is most likely that Vice Captain Hinamori Momo tricked her into going."

In the original universe, Graciela was kept a secret as best as soul society could. She was never permitted to fight against any arrancar so she had no idea then, and the same as now, to where gargantas lead to.

Yamamoto soutaicho nodded his head considering everything, he was about to speak but finally Matsumoto lost her self control. Unknown to everyone, she was silently brooding, standing behind Hitsugaya.

"Emotionally unstable? No! She was an emotional wreck this past week! It was all because of you too!" She yelled at Hitsugaya, coming to stand in front of him.

"Matsumoto I will explain later-" Hitsugaya taicho began.

"No why don't you tell me now. That way everyone can here how horrible you are to her!"

"That wasn't me!" Hitsugaya retaliated with, multiple eye brows began to raise as their argument became more interesting. All the other people in the meeting room starting to listen intently; even Yamamoto.

"How could that not be you? You slapped her! I didn't see anyone holding your arm and making you do it!"

"You did what!" Kenpachi called. Many other members called the same thing as well but were drowned out by Kenpachi. Kenpachi may be marked as a brute but he is extremely protective of his subordinates and those Yachiru wants to look after as well.

"Let me explain!" Hitsugaya screamed out angrily, immediately silencing all members. He stood up to talk, at this action multiple jaws dropped since the only people present aware that were previously aware of his height change are Matsumoto, Isane, and Captain Unohana.

"Something, or someone, invaded my mind. I felt that my conscious was bound in my own subconscious, when I wasn't permitted to open my eyes and see what was going on around me, I saw myself tied in a chair, my hands and feet perpetually bound to it. Whoever was in my mind was controlling my actions and found some kind of sick pleasure in hurting Graciela, he would even talk to me about different ideas and plans to torture her. Every time he succeeded in hurting her a simple, 'she deserved it,' was all I heard from him; as if he considered what he was doing to her payback. Sometimes he even referred back to his 'master' so I assume some other person was controlling or ordering him to control me."

No one really believed Hitsugaya when he finished his explanation, "if that's true why didn't you try to contact Graciela, we all know that she can read minds, so why didn't you?" Matsumoto called out, still not satisfied with his answers after seeing her friend hurt.

"I couldn't even talk to Hyourinmaru, my own zanpakuto. Why would I be able to contact Graciela? Besides, why would she even want to talk to me, he actions caused her to hate me," Hitsugaya added sullenly.

Everyone was stunned at this, for if he couldn't contact his zanpakuto something must have been going on. Apparently the only ones to notice Hitsugaya's sudden sadness are Matsumoto as well as captains Kyoraku, Ukitake and Unohana; who all shared a quick smirk of knowledge.

"I see," Captain Commander Yamamoto finally interjected. "I have heard of this before, but to do this a person needs a certain type of zanpakuto, and illusion type to be exact, and to have an unbelievably strong connection with it. Plus, some outside source of power must connect with the zanpakuto to allow the control to last so long. There are only two people I can think of that fit this description; Graciela, but it is obviously not her for reasons captain Hitsugaya has explained. The other, is Aizen."

"Aizen may be a traitor but why would he need Graciela and Inoue?" Jushiro asked.

"Well Orihime has amazing healing powers, she can reject any injury and heal it like it was never there," Ichigo answered.

"Graciela is the elemental," Hitsugaya answered. No other explanation could have been as simple and straight to the point for Gracie's case.

"So what should we do?"

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

Aizen left us momentarily to go sit upon his 'throne'. In the process leaving his two accomplices and his girlfriend to watch me. P'shaw, like I need supervision. I wouldn't try to escape this soon, that'd be really stupid.

"Ulquiorra, will you please go get Inoue?"

"Yes Aizen-sama."

'Momo, what is the meaning of this?' I asked her mentally.

No response.

'I'm not stupid, I know that you can hear me. Why did you trick me into coming here?'

Again, no response, fed up with her feigning ignorance; I called angrily to her, 'Momo, cut the crap! What is going on here?'

Ulquiorra brought over one of the ryoka, the only girl in their group. I raised an eye brow questioningly, I didn't sense any powerful reiatsu from her so why would she be here?

"You are Inoue Orihime, correct?" Aizen started off.

"Yes sir," she answered shaking slightly, obviously afraid.

"Sorry to be so forward Orihime, but would you show us your power?"

This should get interesting, what power could she possibly posses with such low reiatsu?

"It seems as though there are some who are not to happy with you being brought here… isn't that right, Luppi?"

"…Of course it is. Our entire fight was just a smoke screen designed to lure out this one girl. Who would be happy with that?"

"My apologies, I did not expect you to get so severely beaten."

Ouch, Luppi just got owned. I suppressed a bitter laugh, I doubt anyone present here would enjoy my humor. Plus there is no need to attract attention to myself.

"Now then, that's right," Aizen grabbed my attention again, "Orihime, in order to directly demonstrate your power… please heal Grimmjow's left arm."

An electric blue haired man, whom one: must be Grimmjow and two: I hadn't noticed before, slightly gasped. A look of plain shock crossed with disbelief made up his visage.

The obnoxious espada with purple hair, Luppi, started a loud rant, "ridiculous! That's impossible Aizen-sama! Grimmjow!"

'Watch closely, this is the only reason you are here and the only reason why I have befriended you.'

"His arm was reduced to ash by overseer Tosen. How can you heal something that has been erased! She is not a god!"

'Screw you Momo, get out of my head,' I blocked her once and for all from my mind, how could Hitsu… no I will not think of him!

"Soten kisshun," I heard Inoue call, "I reject."

"Hey! Are you listening, girl!" Luppi started to scream, and basically go crazy, "if this is some show to save your ass you'd better knock it off! If you can't do it I'll kill you! If that power of yours is fake then there'll be no reason to…keep you…alive…what!"

My blasé disposition automatically turned to complete shock mixed with disbelief, Grimmjow's left arm is all there! Even the blue haired espada looked dumbfounded, staring and stretching out his newly restored appendage.

It was quite predictable that the voice beginning to speak belongs to Luppi, "how… how did… she restore… I've never heard of anything at that level… how did you do it, woman!"

Aizen interjected Luppi's drawn out rant, finally, "do you not understand? Ulquiorra, you saw this as 'temporal regression' or 'spacial regression.'"

"Yes sir," Ulquiorra answered, although it seemed more like a rhetorical question to me.

Luppi began his rant again, still in utter disbelief, "no way… no human could possibly posses such ability… it can't be!"

"Correct," Aizen said, with all the answers yet again, "but this is neither of those. This is: 'the rejection of events'" A small sound along the lines of 'whaa' found its way from Luppi's vocal cords.

"Her ability is to reject, and negate any kind of event that has happened to her target. It is an ability that can return a target to a former state no matter what has happened to them. That, is even better than 'temporal regression' or 'spacial regression. It easily tramples the horizon of events that God has decided. This is a power that passes into God's territory."

I turned to Grimmjow, to see him flopping his restored limb, until his eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Hey girl," he called, "fix up, one more spot." He turned around and showed Inoue the gash, or burn, from this far away I can't really tell, on his back. Quickly she went to work again, eventually a number, the number 6 to be exact, appeared on his back.

"What are you planning? Grimmjow…" Luppi sneered.

Completely oblivious myself as to what is going to happen, I slightly leaned in closer for a better look.

"Yeah?" Grimmjow answered cynically.

The next thing I know a hand, Grimmjow's hand, is covered in blood. Tracing from his fingers with my eyes, I made it only to around his elbow. There, a body was interrupting the path of my eyesight. That body belonging to Luppi.

"Uh…oh," I muttered under my breath. Thank God no body heard me.

"Gri… mm… Grimmjow. You son of a…" Luppi began.

"That's how is goes. Later, former mister sixth," Grimmjow answered sardonically.

A blinding blue flash lit up the room. I squinted my eyes to prevent my corneas from burning, but can still tell that the blast came from none other then Grimmjow. When the flash, well cero, cleared; Luppi's body was gone. All that is left of him is some soaring ashes, slowly drifting to the ground. A rather peacefully pathetic ending to an espadas life.

Grimmjow began to laugh maniacally, "my power is back! I am number six!" Insert more laughter, "it's sexta espada Grimmjow," and again insert more laughter.

Aizen turned slightly to me, "you will learn her power, then will become our greatest ally and number one weapon."

Lies, it's all lies. He has Wonderweiss Margera, his trump card to take care of Yamamoto. Hopefully it doesn't go the same way as last time, we need Yamamoto.

I raised my eye brows, unable to hide the emotions from showing up on my face. Thankfully I was able to hide the disbelief and the eye roll, although the shock I showed instead is real. Why would he need me to learn the power, it seems like the target area can cover at most a body at a time, that is perfect to heal someone. But he has the espada here, who in battle basically all died, so if Inoue can't heal all them at once how could I? … Oh yea, gravity forcefields. Ah, crap.

"E-excuse me?" I knew that I shouldn't have, but I needed to. As much as I distrust Hitsu- _him_, I didn't hate everyone in seireitei. I feel no need to betray everyone, the pain he caused me isn't enough for me to turn my back on everybody else. Wait, what is Aizen-

_'__**Graciela! Don't!'**_I closed my eyes, the only way I could brace for a possible impact, flinching would make the others who are unaware suspicious.

'What, what!' I called back to Ry and Ella. Celest hasn't talked to me in a while, so I was surprised her warning was there as well.

_'You shut your eyes just in time. Aizen activated his shikai, you were almost put under his illusion.'_

**'I think you should open your eyes though.'**

I did as instructed, shortly after I met with Aizen's own pair and a question, "will you fight for me." Though the way he posed it, it seemed more like an order.

'Agree,' was Celest's advice.

"Hai Aizen-sama," was my monotone response, slightly mocking Ulquiorra for it seems to be his only response to Aizen.

"Very well then. The assigned espada will be at your rooms shortly after their briefing, stay by them at all times. They will train you and when the times comes, transfer Orihime's powers to you miss Cordina. Gin, show them to their rooms."

"C'mon girls, we bes' be goin!" Gin walked over to Inoue then to myself, "yer rooms are waitin."

His smile is completely deceiving not to mention creepy. Albeit, in a sick kind of way; I like it. It seems trustworthy, like many secrets are hidden within it. It's almost as if his smile holds the reason to why his eyes are closed all the time. As if he is hiding from something, better yet; someone. His ever lasting demeanor really spiking my interest.

Once we walked out of the double doors, we took a left turn; it was there that I became utterly confused and stopped my attempt at mapping and figuring the place out.

Mere minutes, though it felt like hours, later; we stopped at Inoue's room. When Gin opened the door for her I was not permitted to enter, only to wait outside like an obedient pup; although I did see her room to be white. Just like everything else, I thought rolling my eyes.

Gin exited, closing the door which was soon opened anyway. I turned back to see one of the espada, in fact the one to go get her, Ulquiorra; step in and shut the door behind him.

"Ya really are observational Gracie-chan," Gin said to me. I turned my head slightly to him in a curious way. I opened my mouth to answer him but I heard a soft mumbling from somewhere. It was definitely Gin's voice so I shut my mouth and opened my mind instead. Found him…

'I think i'twould be best fer us to use yer mental messagin system ta talk from now to yer room.'

'Why would that be Gin-sama?'

'First off, quit callin me Gin-sama, Gin's fine. An' secon' I saw what ya did thar. Ya shut yer eyes so that ya didn't get effected by his zanpak'to.'

My only response is to stare at Gin shocked. I faltered and nearly tripped. Swiftly Gin caught me and opened a door all at the same time. A door which I presume to by my own.

'Don' worry Gracie-chan. I won tell on ya, infac' I did the same tin' when I first met Aizen. E'er since then I keep mah eyes like dis so dat he can't see the distrust in 'em. 'Specially so dat he won be able to see da fact his 'lusion didn' work on me.'

'Then how can he not see it in my eyes, I looked straight into them when he addressed me after wards!' I replied, actually scared for my life. If Aizen knew I was lying to him and eventually will not be of use, I would most likely be disposed of or killed off. Worse yet, I could be tortured.

'Yar the elemental Gracie-chan. Ya wanna hide sometin from someone, the 'lusions ya can subconsciously make can trick e'en da best 'lusion zanpak'to type wielders.'

'Thanks Gin,' boy was that a load of fear and worry off of my shoulders.

'Don mention it. Jus know dat now he tinks yer under his 'lusion, ya gotta play into his game now like I been doin all dese years.'

I nodded my appreciation to him, he was still on our side after all. I wonder if Yamamoto Soutaicho knows about this… perhaps I can question Gin later.

I heard my door open, and turned towards it. 'My espada' was waiting in the doorway.

Gin took this as his queue to leave, calling; "cya Gracie-chan!" Gin waved a floppy goodbye before 'my espada' fully entered the room.

I mentally gulped, as did Ry, my espada is Grimmjow. After seeing what he did to Luppi, I -in no way- wanted to be associated with him. But yet, here he is… in my room… leaning on my wall… staring at me like I'm a damned moron.

"Like what you see?" I questioned jokingly. Maybe, by some miracle I can get him to not hate me and not try to kill me in my sleep. Humor is always a good way of doing that… right?

He grunted and entered my room fully now, leaving the door wide open. Irked, I decided to wait until he plopped down on my couch before- wait, I have a couch in my room! Sweet.

Anyway, "are you going to shut the door?"

"Go shut it yourself, woman."

"How about no, seeing as you're the one who opened it."

He punched the couch, glaring at me pissed off, "I could kill ya' right now…"

"First off, I doubt it. Secondly, Aizen-sama would bea~t you~," I mocked him. So much for making him not hate me, but hey; I can tell already he'll be fun to mess with.

Let's just say if my goal was to piss him off really badly, I just succeeded. He jumped up and stalked over to me, I gulped but didn't move. He hovered nearly half a foot above staring down at me. Eventually I looked up and he was glaring into my eyes. I turned on the heat, glaring back at him with the hardest, coldest glare I could muster.

'It has been nearly 15 minutes Gracie, give it up!' Celest called to me.

No can do! I called back. She is right though, this is getting a little ridiculous. But I suppose Grimmjow is very stubborn, and the fact that I like messing with him already isn't helping this either.

I sighed not in defeat, but tiredness. His glared relaxed back to the bored look from before. I hmf'd and poked his nose. Annoyed, Grimmjow slightly raised his upper lip, allowing me to see his fang like incisors. He tch'd and began to walk out the door. He stopped half way out, with his hand resting on the door knob. I moved closer, curious at his hesitation.

"Yer stupidity almost made me forget," I rolled my eyes at his back, "in the closet there are three changes of clothing. One to wear when you are to be around Aizen, one for training, and one for everything else. Dunno why he wants ya to have all those, we just get one." He tch'd again, "whatever. I'll be back in the morning for training."

Oh yay, training. I turned around to change into the outfit for 'everything else' but realized that my door is still open. Running out the door and into the middle of the hall way I yelled to Grimmjow.

"Hey! You didn't shut my door!"

His response was to grin back at me in a rather feral manner, then turning to open a door, to what I suppose is his room, and slam it for emphasis. I humf'd and stalked back into my room, slamming my door behind me; hopefully louder than Grimmjow did, but definitely loud enough so that he heard it.

Walking over to the only other door in the room, I opened my closet. It was very small, and I couldn't even fit into it. It's only around five inches deep with only enough space for those three outfits to face me on separate hangers.

The first one, which looked much fancier than the others, is a long pure white dress. I tried it on and realized that it is tight, showing nearly every aspect of my body. There were no sleeves other than the black trim at the top of the strapless part extending to wrap around my upper arms. The trim was loose and allowed the free movement of my arms. The bottom has the same black trim, though around my upper thighs the dress began to billow out slightly, reminding me of a mermaids tail. Other than the style, what makes the dress look fancy is the small black glitter like stitching extending from the upper left part near the black trim down to my waist. The bottom was the same design just it is on the right side and extends to where the dress begins to billow out. Wearily I began to walk around, much to my surprise it was very easy to walk in, stretching enough to allow me to walk comfortably but not ripping in any places.

I took the dress off and put on the second outfit, the one that I should wear for well; everything else.

Inspecting it I realized it is extremely similar to what Grimmjow wears. The same loose pants, with a black belt like cloth; though it is tied into a small bow on my right hip. The top, unfortunately, shows more than Grimmjow's. The sleeves are the same length and the colors are the same the only difference between them is that it did not open, it fit like a sports bra, and not to mention it has a v-neck so it is ultra revealing. I blushed, already embarrassed about having to wear this outfit most of the time.

I changed out of the everything outfit into my training clothes, no need to change back since Grimmjow and I are going to train in the morning. I let out a surprised gasp when I looked at my training clothes. They are so similar to the clothes for my bankai! The same shirt, three quarter sleeves where one hangs off my left shoulder; just white and tighter.

Why does everything have to be so tight here! I mentally shouted.

**'Damn it Gracie I was resting!'**Ella shouted at me.

'Sorry!' I called back, reminding myself not to go and scream in my head anymore; well at least not during the night.

The pants are basically black capris, though tight like skinny jeans, with a smooth surface like leather. At the seams on the sides of the pants are two white stripes running the length of the pant legs. Even though all the clothes are so tight, they are mega comfortable.

Sighing in content, which I know wont last long, I hopped into the twin bed with white sheets and black pillows; to sleep.

Thinking of my day, I realized how nice some of the people here seem to be. Inoue seems really nice, shy though, but definitely caring. Gin is not an actual traitor, just faking it for infiltration. Even Grimmjow isn't half bad when he isn't pissed off. Right on the borderline of pleasant to be around; that is, if the borderline is the size of the pacific ocean. Albeit, these are most indubitably the few people I can trust around here.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~* _

"Isn't it nice of you guys to show up!" The shopkeeper, Kisuke Urahara, feigned niceness to the small group waiting in his living room.

"Can you send us into Hueco Mundo?" Hitsugaya Toshiro asked getting straight to the point.

"Why yes, yes I can. It will take a while though," Urahara responded with. Thanks to the ever present fan, Hitsugaya missed the smirk Urahara threw at him, along with the curious glint in his eyes.

"How long is a while?" Ichigo asked this time.

"Hmm, about a week, maybe two," Urahara said in a blunt manner; he knows that they won't be very happy with him so why beat around the bush and get smacked for it later.

"What!" Ichigo began to exclaim, "in two weeks they could be dead! We have to go now!"

"Sure, you can go now. This time, in two weeks."

"But-"

"So who's rooming?" Urahara interrupted changing the subject.

With only two open rooms and Ichigo's personality, thing could get ugly. Quickly realizing the situation, Rukia and Matsumoto sprinted upstairs at speeds close to Yoruichi's. Bad new for the guys though, they grabbed the bigger room that actually has room for a second mattress.

Other than Hitsugaya, who slowly backed away from the group and walked up stairs to claim the other room; the other guys are completely clueless.

"Where did everybody go to?" Ichigo asked no one in particular.

"They claimed the only open rooms. Now you'll have to crash on the couch. Night!" Kisuke retreated to his own room. Peaceful sleep not being granted to him until much, much later; thanks to the fighting over who is sleeping on the floor between Uryu and Ichigo.

Both Ichigo and Uryu ended sleeping on the floor in the end. During their fight, Chad claimed the couch as his. The prior went unnoticed until a snore broke through the glares Ichigo and Uryu aimed at each other.

Finally, they both sighed and grabbed a few blankets and pillows, their fight exhausting them to the point of passing out within mere minutes.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

"Hey, get your ass up."

I groaned, "screw you Grimmjow."

"What did you say woman?"

This got me up, "I said, screw. You."

Grimmjow tch'd, "you'd like that."

"Excuse me!" I called exasperated.

He rolled his eyes and moved back over to the couch, putting back up his look of pure ennui.

"Don't act like your dissatisfied with my reaction, I was just taken back a bit. Considering that you wouldn't have said that unless you wanted it yourself," I shrugged and kicked off my sheets to the sound of Grimmjow's growl echoing through my, now, hopelessly quiet room.

"So where are my shoes?" I asked him, wondering about what I should be training in.

"I don't know. Why are you asking me?" I facepalmed. Should have expected that.

"Ugh I'll just check the closet."

To my luck I found a pair of black and white boot like shoes. Putting them on, they felt more like a sock. They must be made out of the same material as the clothing. I jogged in place for a bit, satisfied with my findings on their comfortability levels, I turned around to find a bemused Grimmjow.

"What the hell was that?" he asked; bluntly.

"Don't worry about it," as much as I hate when people say that to me, it should be the quickest thing to make him mad.

He growled in response, "fine then. No breakfast."

I opened my mouth to tell him that I'll be fine, but my stomach thought other wise. It grumbled and I bent over slightly wrapping my arms around it, "eh…heh," I said giving Grimmjow an unsure smile.

Showing an amused grin I stood up straight again and poked his nose, his own grin disappeared. He growled and I giggled, then my stomach grumbled; again.*

Grimmjow tch'd and walked to my door. I followed him out of it and walked next to him obediently to where ever he is leading me.

I actually smelt something that aroused my stomach to grumble again. I sheepishly looked down at it but kept walking. A few seconds later I felt Grimmjow turn to the right so I looked up to follow him. I came face to face with a wall, actually running into it.

"Ow!" I called loudly, realizing that I attracted attention to myself I called something else out, this time under my breath.

"Ah, crap…" I turned around while rubbing my nose, to make sure no one saw. But of course some one did, and that some one belongs to the crazy laughter echoing through the halls.

"Hahahahaha!" Deep breath, "nice going smart one," Grimmjow responded sarcastically to my action.

I blushed and looked down while moving to his side. Still looking down slightly until my blush cleared from my face. I absentmindedly began to walk closer to Grimmjow.

"Damn woman, why don't you just hold my hand already," he replied sarcastically at the closeness between our bodies.

Taking this as an opportunity to make him mad again, I grabbed his hand, "so you don't mind Grimmy!" I called like a fan girl.

He cringed away and I started to laugh rather crazily like he did before.

He turned again and stopped a few feet into a room, noticing that things got deafly silent when we walked in; my laughter slowed down.

"Ha?" it ended with. I looked around and a few of the espada are present in what I presume to be the kitchen.

I mentally gasped, in my opinion; the creepiest espada are in the kitchen with us. Grimmjow grunted and moved to walk again to get food, unfazed by the present espada. I hesitated slightly but followed him, marking off the espada as we went.

Aaroniero Arruruerie, Zommari Leroux and to top it all off, the creepiest of them all; Nnoitra Jiruga.

Nnoitra's eyes followed me all the way to the fridge. They pair of orbs followed me when I got myself some milk, and bagel. They followed me as I walked out with Grimmjow.

When I reached the door way, his lecherous stare and actions proved my suspicions to be true.

"Hey Grimmjow, if she ever misbehaves, just send her over to my room so I can discipline her."*

Holy flying crap. I picked up my pace, thankful to be out of there. The awkward silence between Grimmjow and I lasted until we reached the training room. I finally got a good look at his expression and well, lets just say he was seething so badly that a glass of water could be boiled if placed upon his head.

"Grimm-"

"Let's go."

I followed him into the training room, which is enormous.* When he drew his sword and signed for me to do so as well, I realized a bit too late that all that bottled up, random anger; is going to be taken on on me.

Calling my sword to materialize, I gulped.

* * *

*-_- Now I'm hungry

*Gimmjow's response.

*The training room rivals Uraharas, but is most likely bigger.

Sorry I didn't get this out earlier, a doctors appointment and piano lessons gave me less hours in the day yesterday to write it. But I will be keeping Thursday updates! But it is kind of cool having the 9th chapter updated on the 9th of the month :)

Friday, July 9th 12:50 am.


	10. Chapter 10: Galactic Halo

Forgive me, I'm not the best with fighting scenes, but hopefully I will get better.  
Since it is going to be Thursday July 15 when this is updated, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ICHIGO!(:

_'thinking'_

_-writing on the paper-_

_

* * *

_

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

My sword fully materialized but I decided not to show my shinigami powers, not yet anyway. Since it's training, I'll just be using the sword to work on my defense and a little of my offense. Albeit my biggest concern is my elemental powers, I never really use them so why not train with Grimmjow using only those?

Smirking, Grimmjow released his sword, "grind."

Grimmjow quickly sonído'd towards me and swung his sword down, blocking it, I transported behind him and quickly sent a fire ball shooting towards him. Even though it was a bit of a cheap shot, attacking from behind that is; he managed to dodge and tried his attack again. Swinging straight down, I countered his blade with my own. I put more pressure into the block, and onto my blade, which forced Grimmjow to retreat because of the unexpected counter.

"So yer-" I interrupted him, now in 'fighting mode' as Ry likes to call it.

"Shut up and fight," I said placidly.

'Fighting mode' is why I don't normally spar with any one other than Ry, Ella or Celest in my inner world. I still don't know why this happens myself, but when I start to get into a fight, which is basically when I turn on the offense even just a little; I become hexed. It's not really a killing neurosis, it's simply a frame of mind I end up in. On the plus side of it I can still think clearly it's just that my actions become centered around the fight until one of two things happens.

Grimmjow came at me again, but his attack wasn't as strong as the other ones. My suspicions proved accountable as soon as I dodged the cero that he aimed at my head; so much for cheap tricks. Each time he has attacked so far it was powerful, with his light attack I assumed something else was coming. I landed on my feet after back flipping away from his brightly colored cero.

My body tends to move on it's own when in this 'mode', more specifically it happens once fight or flight reflexes kick in. I don't even need to think to be able to dodge certain attacks; it just happens. A theory I have for this is that when in this 'mode' memories from other fights converge and when an attack is recognized; so basically, it's jsut muscle memory.

I blocked another attack form Grimmjow, aimed at my ribs.

He tch'd, "this is boring. Do something."

"Here's something," I managed to say through clenched teeth.

I transported behind him, then back in front of him a few times in hopes of confusing him slightly. Apparently he isn't that much of an imbecile. Bringing my blade across his chest horizontally, at the last second possible; he blocked it. I took advantage of the awkward position he managed to end up in. Forcing my blade harder onto his, he had no choice but to sonído away. Instead of falling on the ground like what would have happened, he fell right into my trap.

When he landed on the ground a few feet away, it collapsed under him. I quickly transported to the edge of the hole to see if my earth restraints held him in place, but he was gone by the time I got to it.

'Earth based attacks still need work..'

Hearing something to my right I threw my sword in front of me and blocked the attack Grimmjow aimed at my mid riff. I transported back a yard or two, giving me space and more time to think of what combinations to use.

Grimmjow sonído'd to me, bringing his sword back to attack. I countered, but with no intent of staying in that position for too long; I jumped away shortly after the contact was made.

With the edge of my sword I traced a circle in the air, and aimed it at Grimmjow. I traced another circle to give it more power and when Grimmjow sprinted to attack I released the blast of spiraling air I stored up for him. Unsuspecting of the method of attack I used, Grimmjow didn't dodge or block it. Also taking into consideration that he couldn't see it for it was air, it hit him and spun into his chest, leaving a ripped vest and a giant red circle that bled a little in, in its wake.

He let out a low, threatening, feral growl then jumped up and attacked me again. I used the same attack again, but this time added fire within the spiraling wind vortex. Grimmjow dodged the first, but I quickly made another one and sent it at him at greater speeds. He escaped the attack with only his right forearm slightly burnt. Although it may sting a little now, I knew that it wouldn't be serious because Inoue can always heal it.

"Lucky shot," he said when our blades met again.

It was my turn to 'tch' at him. Another fact about being in 'fight mode' I tend to end things as quickly as possible with no fooling around; much like Grimmjow likes to do. I get bored with fights quickly if things don't happen, and when in this mode the result isn't always merciful.

I shot a sneer to Grimmjow when I backed up. Tracing circles, five to be exact, with my blade; I prepared for the final attack in this training session. Grimmjow took on a more cocky pose, he must think that he knows what's about to be coming at him.

Curious I tapped into his mind, _'is that the only trick the brat has?' _So he calls me brat in his mind? Is that supposed to be some sort of a pet name?

I'll show him and his ignorance. I let the attack off my blade, adding water to the mix as well. With five different water vortexes, surely he couldn't block nor dodge them all. After a short attempt, two of the water vortexes combined to trap Grimmjow inside.

'What are you doing!' Celest called.

I ignored her and released what will end this, I extended my arm and pointed right at the water vortex Grimmjow is still struggling within. Slowly, I let an electrical charge build up. I felt it from my shoulder to my fingertip. The charge jumped excitedly, I could even hear it crackling in my ear drums. To put it clearly, it felt marvelous. With the yellow charge clearly visible on my left pointer, I took aim for a final time.

* * *

_*~Frozen Harmony~*_

I waited patiently in the living room at Urahara's for this 'meeting' to finally commence. All hope was nearly lost after having been sitting here for an hour already. Ichigo and Uryu have been arguing, giving me a pounding headache even though I have done my best to try and ignore it.

Finally, Tessai brought in a peachy ginseng tea, which will at least calm me down the slightest bit. Even so, the headache isn't fully Ichigo and Uryu's fault. For the past two days I have been worrying constantly about Gracie. Even though I know that she can handle herself, it's more about the situation she's in and the turmoil that is our friendship; if it could even be called that anymore.

At least Rukia and Matsumoto were enjoying themselves seeing as they have been engrossed in a conversation over some magazine for a while now.

"Mr. Hat-n-clogs! Finally you show your face!" Ichigo yelled mercilessly when Urahara walked in.

"Calm down Ichigo. I called you all here to tell you about the development of the garganta to get you to Hueco Mundo," relieved about him finally showing up I let out an almost inaudible sigh.

"So how's it going?" I asked, trying to push this conversation along as fast as it can go.

"It's going along better than I thought. The garganta should be ready within the week," Kisuke said in an aloof manner. Like he completely dismissed the way we would all feel about this taking even longer.

"Then that's good news! We can go rescue Orihime earlier!" as an after thought Ichigo added, "and Gracie…"

"Wishful thinking Ichigo, it's still going to take the two weeks."

"What!" nearly every person in the room screamed out. Jinta and Ururu, who were just walking in, jumped and scurried back out into the hall.

I for one just stood up, shaking my head and retreated back to my room and my previous thoughts. I just can't get Gracie out of my mind, every thought ends up leading back to her. I couldn't even tell you how many hours I have just replayed the last few times I saw her over and over and reanalyzed them in my head.

Little did Hitsugaya Toshiro know but Urahara Kisuke had an eloquent disposition behind the ever present shield that is his fan.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

'Gracie no!'

**'Control yourself!'**

_'Next time, don't train!' _all three called.

One of the options to pull me out of 'fight mode' is for the three of them to manifest themselves. The other is the defeat of my opponent, which in this case would have left Grimmjow seriously wounded. Lightning and water really don't mix well…

Snapping out of it, I blushed; sheepishly. Grimmjow fell to the ground on the verge of unconsciousness since he was in the water for too long.

I quickly rushed over to him while Celest, Ry and Ella went back to our inner world. I kneeled down in front of him and shook his shoulder.

"Hey you awake?"

Growling, he pushed my hand away and spit out some water, "get off me brat."

I rolled my eyes at him, typical Grimmjow.

"Who said the fight was over?" he asked, miffed.

"I did considering I nearly electrocuted you beyond recognition."

He raised an eye brow at me and I just shook my head, "don't worry about it."

He growled again and I looked up and used the easiest way, that I know, of how to get him to drop this conversation. I tapped his nose.

He smacked my hand away when standing up, and when I gazed into his eyes, there was a slight hint to a challenge.

His hand shot out to jab at my stomach. Remembering a self defense trick Kenpachi taught me, I grabbed his left wrist with my right hand. Quickly putting my left hand over my other, I twisted his arm and put as much pressure upon it as I could muster. Pointing and his naval, (a trick for accuracy), he slightly buckled his knees from the pressure. Recovering quickly, he used his free hand to smack me upside the head.*

"You left yourself open."

"Wait, was that…advice? Training advice from Grimmjow!" I said sarcastically as a rebuttal to what Grimmjow expected me to do.

"If training is what you want, training is what you'll get," he said gruffly while shrugging.

I eyed him suspiciously for a few seconds, reading his face to see if he has any ulterior motives. Finding none I shrugged as well and walked with him towards a smaller area at the back of the training room. No need to get in the way of Nnoitra sparring with Tesla.

He took and offensive stance and I gulped, imagining how I'm going to come out of this part of the training session.

Swiftly, but most likely lightly (for him), he swung his arm out towards my stomach. Flailing a little, I managed to jump backwards and out of the way. Giving me a strange look, he continued swinging.

The next few punches I managed to avoid them, but I never blocked or took offense. Grimmjow seemed to become more and more annoyed with each punch he threw since I spazzed away from each of them.

He landed a few punches on me, my upper right arm and my stomach especially. Each swing of his arms he gained a more suspicious look than annoyed. After a kick to the side of my ribs he spoke what must have been on his mind through my pathetic excuse of hand-to-hand combat.

"Have you ever fought like this before?"

"Ma~ybe…" I replied sheepishly while rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet.

"Idiot brat," he said under his breath.

"What was that?" I asked, my want to make him mad kicking in again.

"It was nothing, let's just go," he said.

Shrugging, I walked next to him on our way out of the training room. Replaying the events, I decided that I did not like today whatsoever.* I nearly killed Grimmjow, which reminds me…

'Thank you guys!' I screamed to them; mentally of course.

I giggled at the responses I got back, **'shaddup,'** _'quiet down,' _'completely unnecessary.'

"So Grimmjow, how bad was I with the hand to hand stuff?" I'm actually afraid of the answer because in my mind, I picture myself just jumping around and flailing my limbs; as if I was trying to stop myself from falling over. Not training.

He cracked a satirical smile, with that one look I knew it really was as bad as I had imagined.

Feeling slightly sick form embarrassment I disavowed my previous statement. Grimmjow started to laugh and I blushed an even darker shade of crimson and hid my face behind my hair.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

"Oh look, it's Sunday," Urahara said while pointing at a random calendar that just so happened to pop up onto the table. Using the other hand he absentmindedly pushed his hat down slightly to cover his eyes even more. As if he doesn't need to think about hiding his intentions, it just automatically happens.

"What's so great about Sunday?" Kurosaki asked, aloof as always.

The residents of the house, along with the visiting soul reapers and high school students, all sat at a round table. On said table, items, such as the remnants of a light meal, started to be removed by Tsukabishi Tessai.

"Considering the fact you are no longer in Soul Society and over a week is still necessary before you all can leave, that means school. Since tomorrow is monday, you will all be going."

Multiple groans and sighs mixed together and echoed around the room, finally exiting when Tsukabishi opened the sliding door to bring more tea to the individuals sitting around the table.

"Do we really have to?" Matsumoto whined, speaking the minds of all the present soul reapers. Even Hitsugaya detests the idea of having to go to that school; thanks to the girls who borderline stalk him while he's there. Normally, if it was a longer mission; no objections would be made. But for a mere week it seemed pointless to go.

"We would only be there for a week and then disappear again, so why bother raising suspicions," Rukia argued cunningly.

Urahara seemed to be considering letting the soul reapers stay behind. They would mostly stay in their respective rooms and they wouldn't get in the way of his research and they most definitely wouldn't hinder any of his plans. Surely they would be eating his food but he can always send one of them to the store for more.

"Fine, you can stay," Urahara responded.

"Yes!" Kurosaki called while jumping onto his feet. For celebration he did a little dance, looking scarily similar to the cabbage patch.

"Not you guys…" Hitsugaya and Urahara pointed out with sweat drops.

Kurosaki stopped dead, arms extended, with a pitiful expression on his face. An expression that caused the female shinigami present in the room, not counting Shihouin Yoruichi for she is in her cat form, to start laughing hysterically. The discussion ended with that as multiple persons left the shop, and others returned back to their rooms.

A certain white haired captain took his cup of tea and retreated to the sliding glass door that led to the back porch. Walking further back to the small patch of green grass, he sat down then shifted his position to be more comfortable. Laying on his back, he gazed at the stars with longing, sadness and regret coloring his features.

His apathetic demeanor brakes when he is alone, for it is the only time he can go without being questioned about his emotions or the influence they have on his visage. Taking the final sip of his tea, he set it back down with a sneeze and a final thought, _'is she thinking of me?' _

* * *

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez lays on the couch, his claimed domain, in Miss Cordina's room. He watches her silently rummage through a box she found at the bottom of her small closet, one she is sure wasn't there before. His interest soared when a small sound flew from her lips.

"Aha!" she called. Hurriedly she backed out from the closet, still on her knees, so it was a bit of an awkward attempt. Shutting the door, she dusted herself and the 'everything else' outfit, off.

Grimmjow never really payed attention to the clothes female arrancar wore, for it is all skimpy and revealing. Albeit so is the top Graciela is wearing, but for some reason he still took note of it. Sometimes Grimmjow couldn't help but let his eyes wander. When he first saw her in her kimono, he wasn't expecting much. Of course she didn't have those same characteristic assets as Inoue but in his opinion, they were definitely something worth looking at.

Of course there is a reason to why he is paying attention to her clothes. For the other arrancar, they choose the clothes which they will always be wearing throughout the vast expanse of hallways and rooms that is Las Noches, but Graciela is a different case. Her clothes, specifically her top, were all previously picked before she arrived. With the character Grimmjow has already observed, it's obvious for him to tell that she isn't the least be comfortable with the chosen top. Grimmjow applauded her patience and state of mind to make do with what she's got, like all the other inhabitants in Las Noches. In some corner in Grimmjow's mind, he accepted her and her presence in Las Noches.

Giggling a little, she walked over lithely to Grimmjow. She placed the piece of paper, with words already scribbled on it, and a pen next to his leg on the couch. He didn't even bother to look at it and when she sat down he spoke his mind; as usual.

"What is it?"

"It's a piece of paper. Oh, there's a pen there too," she replied sarcastically with an eye roll. She talks with her hands as well, so she flipped her right hand and pointed during the last part of her sentence.

"Shut up ya brat. I mean what is it for?"

"Say what you mean and mean what you say, my grandpa always told me that. Anyway, we're going to write notes. Since we've been sitting here in silence for an unconceivable amount of minutes, I thought of something."

"We could just talk you know and it will still be quiet when we write," Grimmjow pointed out the obvious. Of course Graciela has another reason for wanting to do so.

At first glance Graciela seems shy and timid, also motherly and caring. When one gets to know her better, layers begin to break down based on her comfort with the person. When those layers decompose and her true nature is revealed, the quote 'looks can be deceiving' comes into mind.

It's not like she isn't shy or caring, she is, it's just there is so much more to her than meets the eye. Her personality tends to take on a palpable and three dimensional characteristic.

"But it would be a comfortable silence, not awkward like this," she began to explain her reasoning, "plus the sound of the scratching of the ink and graphite against paper isn't silence. It's subtle noise that although may seem irritating also stands for information being explained and thoughts written out."

Grimmjow gave her a simple, questioning look. Her spoken words were deep, and he couldn't find what she was trying to say underneath all of the pointless syllables.

She smiled a small smile, "the comforting sound of the pen and pencil on paper symbolize bonds being made and a friendship beginning." Sometimes she talks in riddles, sounding more like an analytic english teacher then a 17 year old girl. That is her way of speaking her mind when she is unsure of the other persons response.

Finally her opinion on what she regards them as is exposed. During the first few hours of knowing Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez she shied away form him, knowing that he is the enemy and that he can be very brutal and destructive. Of course her biggest flaw in the end plays through and though most of the time is good, the hurt that it also results in lasts forever in her mind. Worst of all she blames her self for it and in silence constantly thinks over what she could have done to prevent events from happening and bonds from being broken. Her most recent, _'if only I didn't transport ahead.'_ That's why she will do almost anything to stop the silence from making her go crazy.

Humoring her, Grimmjow picked up the paper and pen.

_-You never told me your last name, what is it?- _her handwriting, all the same height though very slim and not bubbly at all, a contrast to her personality but not to her figure; Grimmjow noted.

Getting up he moved across the room to the bed with one hand is his pocket the other with the pen and his answer on the paper.

"Come sit, it will make things easier," Graciela motioned to the end of her bed.

Grimmjow, a little surprised, sat down anyway. This new motion between them, the innocent girl and the destructive sinner, came as a shock. But isn't that the way it always goes?

With the way her bed is positioned, he leaned his back and head against the wall.

_-Jaegerjaquez- _She read in his messy half lower and upper case letters.

_-That's interesting. Do you remember your life before coming to Hueco Mundo?- _She passed the paper to him.

He marveled at her handwriting again, it seemed too perfect to be real and not the type face that he has seen only once before.

_-No I don't.- _He passed the paper to her, this time keeping the pen in the hand and not setting it down.

_-Hm, is it a rarity to be able to remember?- _

Little to his knowledge but Graciela is in the process of finding out some deeper information of her own. She was already explained by some of her acquaintances in seireitei that remembering the past before arriving in soul society is rare. Of course she isn't inquiring about the past as in the original universe, but as to why she was able to remember her past after being purified by Kusajishi's blade back when she first awakened her powers.

Maybe, she though, if it isn't rare among arrancar that the reason I remember is because of Ella.

_-Yea.- _His simple answer unsettled her even further.

Why was she truly able to remember? Even the memories from the original universe didn't contain anything about her human life, only of what happened when she was in seireitei. She always assumed that things went the same way they did when she was in a 'coma' for she doesn't remember anything of the academy the soul reapers all went to and graduated from.

She shrugged it off and scribbled another question.

Before the scribbling Grimmjow started to doze off, he -hell both of them- had a long day. Long referring to the activities not the hours they have been awake. When her pencil first made contact with the paper his eyes shot open and he actually listened to the comforting scribbling.

_'Heh, seems she was right,'_ he wondered in amazement but failed to realize the severity these actions will play in the future. When it's finally time to complete his task, it will be all the more harder to do so as each day does by.

_-So what's your favorite color?-_

Things went on like that for most of the night.

Of course 'night' is just what Graciela's internal body clock says. 'Time' in Hueco Mundo doesn't pass with clocks or with the rising and falling of a bright star. Not with the spinning of the earth itself, or days and dates on calendars. Time is measured differently for each arrancar, for each espada, for each individual. To Grimmjow, time is measured in three ways: 'time to sleep', 'time to fight', and 'time to meet with Aizen'. A fourth sometimes appears when he gets his hands on any form of alcohol, 'time to drink.' Everything else is just a constant. Compared to the human way of defining time, his is simple. Other than survival, fighting and dealing with that bastard Aizen; life is simple too.

So when the hours fly by, it seems Grimmjow can add a new time to his clock, 'time with Gracie.' Honestly he hated to admit it, for he thought about his reasoning to attaching to the girl. It isn't love and it isn't for his personal gain, nor for any kind of sexual pleasure. Perhaps, it is just for him to have someone to actually talk to, someone for which he will actually listen.

It dawned upon him, this girl, his 'brat'; has become a friend.

* * *

* Like Gibbs does to Tony in NCIS

* I still can't believe that's all one word O.o

Completed, Thursday July 15th 5:18 am.


	11. Chapter 11: Blueshift

Thanks to Kikii, again, for helping me! He's a lifesaver, he even listened to my crackheaded ramblings cause I had too much energy.  
Disclaimer (wow I've been forgetting this...): I do not own Bleach.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

Grimmjow woke the next morning, still in the same position as he was last night. Graciela looked eerily serene laying in her bed, cuddled to one of her pillows.

Yea, she even got more than one pillow.

Grimmjow shifted to move, but when he did so, Graciela twitched uncomfortably in her sleep. Now if this was any other girl, Grimmjow would have gotten up no problem and left, but after all of the information she managed to get out of him last night; he just couldn't bring himself to do so.

All thanks to that stupid question game. Now he was emotionally attached, per se, to his target in Aizen's given mission. Now not only will the end hurt her like it should have, but it will hurt him as well.

_'This shouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have answered any of her questions.' _

What surprised Grimmjow the most is that even though she only asked small, normally insignificant, questions; she got more information on him than any one else.

From him.

That's saying something.

Grimmjow shook his head to clear his mind of unwanted, well more unnecessary, thoughts. While shaking it he got a glimpse of Graciela's… assets. With the way she slept, her boobs practically fell out of the v-neck.

Again, if this was any other girl Grimmjow would have most likely taken a sort of advantage over her. But after breaking down some of her protective layers, he found that she has a really innocent personality. All crude jokes, excluding the shit Nnoitra says to her, goes right over her head. So of course, he would not, and will not; take advantage of her.

Although, ideas started to form in Grimmjow's, sometimes, convoluted mind. Last night, she unintentionally asked him some very personal questions. She phrased them innocently, for she couldn't express them any other way. There was one question that pretty much broke all awkwardness and brought on a whole another wave of sexual tension the two never noticed before.

_-So have you been with anyone Grimmjow?-_

Her perfectly even handwriting on the paper, the shock he felt, he remembered it as if it happened mere seconds ago. Not almost 12 hours in the past. Needless to say, Grimmjow answered the question truthfully; like all the others. But it was in the wrong sense, he misinterpreted the innocent enough question.

_-Only twice. Last time it wasn't great, she was easy and I was pissed as anything over Luppi.-_ He actually growled when writing out the name.

He even remembers the gasp he heard from Graciela and the crimson red that plagued her otherwise perfectly tanned complexion. Her eyes showed shock and Grimmjow shook his head to rid it of the images; again.

"I didn't mea-"

"Shit!"

He sighed, that was how their conversation ended. Gracie folded the papers and placed them under her mattress, a temporary spot, she assured him.

He shook his head, finally clearing his mind of last nights incident. Now, Grimmjow peered over at Graciela condescendingly, he began to plan. She caused the tension so surely by asking other questions of those means, it will eventually ebb. His logic seemed sound enough to him so he shrugged in acceptance. A few awkward questions a day, eventually it will go away.*

_'But then you will have to complete your job…' _he thought. Half scolding himself for getting attached to an innocent girl and half for what he should really be preparing for.

Grimmjow's gaze inadvertently shifted back to Graciela, well the chest of the aforementioned any way. Little did he know but two weeks ago she was 5' 2", flat as a board and had a very stable life.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

I opened my eyes and without moving looked up towards Grimmjow. His head is facing away from mine so he must still be asleep.

When I looked back away I blushed, all thoughts from last night came rushing back into my head.

I can't believe I ended up asking him such personal questions. I thought that the whole first kiss question wasn't bad, but asking him is he dated anyone? My face reddened even more and the feeling of being an even larger prude washed over me. I've only kissed and he's had… bedroom relations with people. I mentally slapped myself in a vain attempt to put that to the back of my mind.

I felt this nagging sensation to move from her position, as if it was compromising in some fashion. Twitching a little, I noticed Grimmjow's head turn towards me, so he is awake?

"Tch, about time you wake up," ah, I miss the quiet Grimmjow already.

I groaned, and turned my head farther into my pillow. Mere seconds later, I felt a stare on my body. Confused, I turned to Grimmjow. When I noticed where his eyes had shifted to I squeaked and covered myself with the extra pillow; fully awake now.

"Grimmjow!" I scolded from behind my pillow. Though it didn't really sound all that clear, the pillow muffled my voice. I didn't need his mocking expression to know that was blushing like a mad woman.

"Shut up brat, you're too loud."

I rolled my eyes at him. Why did he always have such snide and short retorts? Even when we were writing back and forth to each other his answers were always short and somewhat indirect. I moved the pillow away from my face now that my blush died down to only a slight red, no longer a ripe tomato.

Grimmjow looked like he was going to ask me something but my stomach interrupted him. It figures, just as my blush dies down I do something to make myself blush again. I mentally sighed while Grimmjow began to say something else.

"Come on, I'm getting food."

I rolled my eyes at him. Of course, when it was my stomach who rumbled, he can't look like he's caring for someone else.

I shut my door on the way out and walked next to him to the kitchen. I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eyes just yet after what happened this morning. Just thinking about it brought another blush onto my face.

More sooner, than later, we ended up at the entrance to the kitchen, apparently I was lost in my thoughts because Grimmjow called my name without an answer multiple times.

This time, thank god, we are alone in the kitchen. Though most unfortunately, there was barely any food left after the morning rush. Rummaging through the remaining basket of breakfast goods I found my favorite type of bagel; blueberry. While putting cream cheese on it, Grimmjow made his way over to the bagel basket for he finally realized there isn't another other food. I smirked when he pulled out his favorite kind; poppy seed. A fact that I found out last night.

Walking back to my room I thought of a few more questions to ask him once we got back.

Though all of mine were silenced my his only one, "who was your first kiss?"

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

Sneezing, Hitsugaya Toshiro walked out of the shop to resume his position on the back lawn from the night before. Hitsugaya may have been cold before, but never sad or melancholy; for he found no reason to be. Sure he may have been possessed by Aizen and had no control over his actions, but he knows that Graciela wouldn't believe him if he ever received the chance to tell her.

He sighed in anger but then an ingenious thought all but slapped him across the face.

'Perhaps this is a good thing. Before Gracie was talking about starting over, well now is our chance to really do so.'

_'There is a problem with that, master,'_ Hyourinmaru interrupted Hitsugaya's hopeful thoughts,_ 'to truly start over you would have to have your shields up as well. But if you plan to get her to talk with you again, there is no way that you can put those up for her to break down.'_

'Then I won't. I'll just break her defenses. As soon as we rescue her I'll start explaining.'

_'Speaking of which, when will Urahara complete the garganta?' _Hyourinmaru asked.

Hitsugaya jumped for any chance to get his mind of of Graciela, even for a minute amount of time, for the same thought would always be his answer and crush his hopes:

'Why get my hopes up, what if she doesn't forgive me?'

He shook his head to clear the pessimistic thought, surely checking on Urahara would get his mind off of her. In spite of the fact that visiting Urahara would lead to talking about the garganta, and the garganta would lead back to thinking about Graciela; Hitsugaya went anyway.

"Hitsugaya Toshiro," Graciela responded with. Using every ounce of power within her body, she forced the tears that formed from flowing over. All thoughts that were swirling around in her head completely stopped. By mentioning his name it's almost as if the world is ending; her world anyway.

Grimmjow got up and closed her door to give them privacy, although he didn't show it; he truly was worried about Graciela. His personality on the other hand, won't let him voice his feelings, so he settled for a concerned look. Blue eyebrows raised in shock as well.

"Don't ask, just drop it," Gracie said and shifted on her bed until she faced the wall and had her back to Grimmjow.

Not knowing what to do, he walked out of her room and just sat by the door. He knows enough to give her her privacy and to not ask anything; yet. Inside, his mind spun and tried to form coherent questions to ask her, though he doubts that he will receive any answer from her. Somewhere deep inside his mind, he even swore to get a few good hits on the white haired Captain for doing what ever he did to make Gracie react in such an uncharacteristic; sad manner.

On the outside, his face set itself in a deep scowl and he used all his remaining will power to prevent him self from hitting something. Sure, Grimmjow cares about how Gracie is feeling and wants to know why she is like that, but he is mostly disgusted with himself. For he knows that when he completes his mission, the state Gracie is in now is most likely the state she will end in.

_'No,'_ he corrects himself, _'she will be worse.'_

_

* * *

_

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

Silently, tears fell down my face.

_'At least you managed to hold your tears until Grimmjow left,'_ Ry tried to reassure me.

But I'm still crying, don't you see this is a battle and I'm losing terribly?

By now, I've learned to cry in silence as not to arouse suspicion, nor to give others a reason to pity me for things they wouldn't ever understand.

**'Gracie, don't you dare get yourself worked up over him again. He's worthless, a piece of sh-'**but that only made me cry harder. A small whimper left my lips and somewhere outside my room I heard a grunt. That resulted in another whimper and my thought process to return to me.

No, no, no! He was supposed to stay an enemy! Now he's sitting in the hall wanting for me to calm down and is concerned for me! I need to call him in here, to explain my I'm like this.

'Graciela, no. Calm down before you do anything of the sorts. You know that Grimmjow is one to get angry very easily, so telling him while you are like this won't result in anything good.' I nodded in agreement to Celest's words.

I tuned them out, and stopped my thoughts again. Well all but one, 'if you want to come back in you can.'

Now that my sobs died down at least I will know that while he's in my room, he won't hurt any one. I would hate myself if someone got hurt, or even killed; for my sake.

I heard the door open and close again, as well as the footsteps leading to my couch. Assuming that's where he will stay, I allowed myself to relax a little. It may be midday, and my breakfast is still sitting on the end of my bed, but emotional breakdowns are tiring.

Before I knew it, I had cried myself to sleep.

* * *

_*~Frozen Harmony~*_

"What the hell?" I said when I reached the training area.

Ever so slowly bits and pieces of the garganta began to zipper together again. I heard a chorus of other voices saying exactly the same thing, and I thought to myself, why did he call us all down here?

Yesterday, when Ichigo, Uryu and Chad went back to school; it was still stable. Kisuke's calculations said that it should have been fully opened by today so I thought we were called down here to leave.

"It worked!" Kisuke said, while hiding behind his fan.

"What do you mean 'it worked'? It's zipping back together! How are we supposed to leave now?" Ichigo called out.

"I told you that it would take upwards of two weeks. Honestly I kind of expected it to break down on the first try."

"When can you retry to create it?" I asked. Though I know that if I didn't ask the question, someone else would have; it was obviously on everyones minds. Everyone is jumpy at the fact that we have the chance now and just want to go save our friends. We all know the risk of leaving them there this long; the higher chance they could end up dead.

"Tomorrow around midday," everyone sighed heavily. A days delay could end up with dire consequences for or friends held in Hueco Mundo.

It's not like I doubt that Gracie can take care of herself, but Inoue seemed very frail and weak when she was in Soul Society. So I believe that is safe to assume she is fairing worse there than she did with us. That in itself is a relatively scary fact.

Urahara dismissed us so I retreated back to my room with a cup of tea. No sooner than I sat down on my bed did someone knock on my door.

"Come in," I called out, too lazy to answer my door formally. Not only does Gracie's absence take a toll on my mental state, but my actions and manners seem to be effected as well.

"Matsumoto," I said surprised. She was the last person I expected to see walk into my room.

She shut the door behind her and walked to stand in front of me; obviously ready to talk. In response I offered her a seat on the bed, albeit awkwardly, though she took it and turned so that she faced me.

"So I've been thinking," pause, "you say that you were trapped in your own mind by Aizen."

Taking a sip of my tea I nodded, not sure of where Matsumoto is going with is.

She stood up and began to pace around the smaller room, as if carefully calculating what to say.

"Well Aizen has an illusion zanpakuto, couldn't you have broken the illusion? I mean Grace is the elemental after all so if you called out to her, even though it would be mentally, wouldn't her powers kind of overrule Aizen's?"

I stuttered, not sure of what to say. I never really thought of it that way. I guess I was so mad at Aizen at the time, and wanted to console Gracie so badly that my logic never really pulled through.

"I know that when you are mad you never really think logically, but did you even fight against the bonds? Or did you just accept it and sit there watching Aizen torture Gracie through your body?"

Shocked, I raised my eyebrows. "Of course, I fought!" But then I got to thinking, I struggled with his powers and even swore a death threat type of vendetta against him. But then I just sat back and watched everything happening. Was I really as powerless as I felt? Or is Matsumoto right?

I hung my head in shame and Matsumoto came to sit back down on the bed.

"I just wanted to let you know that you aren't the only one who misses her. Sure yours may be worse because you are basically the reason why he left in the first place," I felt deep regret swell inside of me.

"You didn't need to remind me…"

"Actually I did. I just need you to know that what you're feeling right now will go away once we save her. Know that when we do go to save her, I will be behind you no matter what. Don't tell me 'I can handle this you go!' or things like you normally would; I just won't accept it. We are going to get Gracie back, and when we do we can have our happy little division back and I will forgive you."

She walked to the door but stopped, "I felt like when I was with Gracie, a lot of the stuff we did I've done with her before. Like there is almost a strange sense of déjá vu surrounding her. As strange as it is, I find extreme comfort in that familiarity and when we rescue her; finally things can get back to normal."

With that she walked out. As random and kind of awkward as the conversation was, she had some good points. Oh and she succeeded in making me feel like shit and might be getting back old memories but hey, what can you do?

Finishing my tea, I slumped back onto my bed and decided to plan out what to do when in Hueco Mundo. As a type of 'team leader' I haven't been doing a great job. After Matsumoto's speech, how could I not start?

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

"How long has she been like dat?" Gin asked Grimmjow.

Gin unexpectedly popped up to have a little chat with the two, like he did with Ulquiorra and Orihime just minutes before.

"A day, give or take."

"Do ya know why she started ta act like dis?" Gin asked in his southern-esque drawl.

"I asked her a question and she got all teary eyed when she answered," Grimmjow said. Though he does need to report back to Aizen all the information he has gathered, he still feels weird about telling Gracie's secrets. Especially since she is in the room right next door and the walls in Las Noches are pretty thin.

"What question? What was her answer?"

"I asked who her first kiss was," Gin's eye brows rose in a questioning glance. Though it went unnoticed because of the way his eyes and cheshire smile normally are.

"She answered that it was Hitsugaya Toshiro then got all upset."

"Welp, when she calms down talk wit 'er and try ta get her ta tell ya 'bout wha happened. Then tell her I needa speak wit 'er."

"Yes Gin-sama." Grimmjow spat out begrudgingly.

"Is it going to work?" Rukia called out excitedly as Kisuke started to open up the garganta again.

"Of course, I just need to.. ah! There we go!"

Before their eyes (Rukia, Matsumoto, Urahara and Hitsugaya) the garganta started to unzip and open up. A small cheer was heard from the girls before they headed back up the stairs.

"Kisuke, we need to talk, Hitsugaya said, with a stern look on his face.

"Very well then, follow me."

Follow the, not so little any more, prodigy did. The two of them ended in the dining room, or the room considered as such. On the table, two cups of tea which were previously poured by Tessai, awaited them.

"So where are we going to end up when we go through the garganta?" Hitsugaya went straight to business.

"Nowhere where you all will be in immediate danger. Most likely somewhere in the sands of Hueco Mundo, though not that far from Las Noches."

"When there I plan on allowing groups to form, two specifically. That way more ground will be covered, I have no doubts that they would be able to fend for themselves."

"Very well then, do what you must. Just know that Hueco Mundo is an unforgiving place and be prepared for anything." Although Kisuke said that somewhat off handedly, underneath the surface of the words is a warning that should be heeded.

'Graciela you have to get up.'

_'Yea, you've been wallowing in sadness for nearly four days now.'_

**'Grimmjow surely can't be happy. Watching over a girl who just lays in bed all day.'**

'Ella enough, don't get her feeling worse about herself,' Celest scolded.

**'But she needs a wake up call!'**

_'Gracie, during that week, did you ever once think to get into Hitsugaya's mind?' _Ry questioned, randomly.

Though for Ella it wasn't random, while Matsumoto had this same conversation with Hitsugaya, Ry was with Hyourinmaru. Which for once; went unnoticed by Toshiro.

No.. should I have? Gracie asked somewhat dazed and confused. Never had she thought about going to his mind.

'Ry has a point, you could have see what was going on,' Celest added; catching on.

**'And you might have prevented him from going ape shit on you,'**Ella pointed out bluntly.

_'Ella!'_ Celest and Ry shouted at the same time.

You know guys, I hadn't even thought of that. I never really use the power so the thought honestly never crossed my mind.

**'Ya know, maybe you're at fault for this whole mess just as much as Toshiro is.'**

_'Yea, what if you just looked into his mind, what could have happened…' _

Well, you guys succeeded in making me feel even worse now. But you have a point, also a reason for Toshiro to hate me even more. What if he did all that just to get attention?

'Do you really think that he is the kind of person to do that?' Celest asked.

No I never took him as such, but I took Momo to be a good true friend. Look how that turned out. Gracie argued back with.

_'Point.' _

Annoyed, Gracie finally had enough.

Bye guys! Gracie called, while blocking out the voices of her inner spirits.

Though that is exactly what her spirits wanted her to do. They all high fived at the success of their plan, though it was rather quickly made on the spot and improvised, it still worked perfectly.

Shifting in the bed she turned around to face Grimmjow and smiled lightly.

"Took you long enough," Grimmjow said.

He got up to talk over to Gracie, to actually see if she was awake. Over the past three days he actually started to feel lonely and more or less like the way he was before Graciela became his assignment.

Lethargically, Graciela sat up on her bed and eventually faced Grimmjow fully.

"You know you were out for three and a half days."

_'WHAT?' Three and a half days!' _Gracie couldn't believe it. It felt so much shorter to her. But then again she drifted in and out of consciousness and the amount of self pity and replaying of events made time pass faster for her.

"So what day is it? What time is it? Wait.. I'm still in Las Noches right?" Gracie kind of rambled through her confusion.

**'It's Friday now.'**

**'Midnight ya dunce.'**

**'No we're in Timbuktu. Are you stupid?'**

Grimmjow just smirked, unaware that Ella has been answering the pointless questions all along.

Then suddenly Grimmjow's expression grew serious, in response so did the atmosphere in the room.

"So why did you react like that?" Grimmjow finally asked the question that Gracie knew would come out of his mouth sooner or later.

"Hitsugaya, when I was recovering, wanted to try something," Gracie changed the story around as not to give any information about the original universe.

"He came over to me and kissed me. Right on the lips, I pushed him away and told him that it was uncalled for."

"That's it?" Grimmjow asked.

_'No way is that the whole story, a simple incident like that, or the reason for her to be out cold for three and a half days.'_

"But that's not it," Gracie continued. With Grimmjow's full attention and incredulous look on his face,she further divulged the information.

"A few days later, he stated acting really weird. He would yell at me for nothing, and he started to become more cold and definitely not himself. One day in the office I was being scolded by him again and out of the corner of my eye I saw Matsumoto's lips purse in frustration. I shook my head to her, though Hitsugaya thought that I was dismissing his statements. After that he started to yell at me and…" Graciela stopped here for a moment, to recompose herself. Durning the past speech was was loosing control over her emotions ever so slowly. She shook with the effort of suppressing everything, but it didn't hold up; she started to cry again.

"He just got so mad, I didn't even see what was happening. Well I saw but I didn't, no, I couldn't comprehend it!"

Practically wailing now, "he.. he.. he slapped me!"

Shaking a little more she held her hand in her hands and Grimmjow looked like he was ready to kill. Though the murderous intent isn't directed towards the white haired captain.

"Slapped me! Grimmjow, he slapped me!" Gracie latched onto that one phrase during her cry.

"I just.. I did my best to listen to him but he was so mean! I did my best! I did my best!"* Gracie, by now, just laid on her bed in hysterics. Her loud sobs echoed through the bedroom.

Grimmjow was just about ready to kill someone, that someone being Aizen. Thanks to Aizen revealing his plans, Grimmjow knew that Aizen was going to take over the mind of someone close to Gracie to persuade her to come to Las Noches.

Grimmjow did his best to suppress his anger. After succeeding and actually listening to his better judgement for once, he started awkwardly at the broken girl before him. In no way is he experienced with comforting people. Especially people who are crying. Especially girls. Especially a girl who he now considers to be a friend.

So, not knowing what to do really, he sat down next to Gracie. Who, in return, threw herself at him and latched on; like she latched on to the other phrases. Awkwardly, he put and arm around her waist and patted her back. She, lost in hysterics, missed the one time Grimmjow actually looked clueless, weak, and venerable.

Of course, someone saw. Las Noches is notorious for the walls having eyes and ears. Not too soon after Gracie calmed down and wiped her tears, does the eyes an ears pokes his head through the door.

"Ya'll are needed fer a meetin'."

"Okay Gin," Grimmjow called for both of them.

* * *

*Omg I rhymed! XD  
*again with the dark humore; 'I did my best' is the line Dane Cook used when he did his skit on 'Crying.'

Sorry, I personally don't think this chapter was very interesting and the emotion was in no way delivered but I still hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.

Friday July 23rd 4:49 am.


	12. Chapter 12: Quasar

**I would like to thank rainy-lullaby for letting me use her character Penelope for one of the parts. Her story, Black Wolf, is really great and if you like StarrkxOC you should check it out! :)**

* * *

Quickly Graciela got up to find Gin and Grimmjow outside her room. Once out she fell into step with the latter. The walk was awkward and more times than none, Gracie considered starting up a conversation between the two men. Each time she thought of something, she just shook her head thinking, _'no that wont last long…' _and tried to think of something else again.

After a painstakingly slow five minutes, Gracie and Grimmjow were ushered into the giant doors by Gin; who was to wait patiently outside.

Taking their seats at the table, Aizen was at the head, sitting in his 'throne' as usual. What was unusual about this meeting is that the only other people in the room are Ulquiorra and Inoue. Confused, the girls shared a glance but it was suffice enough to express their suspicion to each other about the meeting.

"To answer your question as to why you are here," Aizen began, "it is merely to check to see how my… guests are fairing." Sure he may have used the word 'guests', but to them the undertone made it sound more like 'prisoners'. The girls glanced at each other warily at the word. Each swallowing the lump of fear forming in their throats.

"Well, how have you been?" Aizen directed the question at Inoue. In return she began to shake lightly, the most probable cause of the action: out of fear.

"I-I-I've been well sir."

Seemingly pleased with her stammering answer, he turned his attention to Gracie.

"I see that you are not wearing the gown."

She felt the need to explain herself, "Gin came in unexpectedly so I didn't have time to change, I-I'm sorry," she added begrudgingly but still felt the strange need to do so.

"Very well, next time I expect you to be wearing your formal attire. Now, I understand that you were very upset the past few days."

Her eyes widened in shock, she was not aware that anyone other than Grimmjow knew about her breakdown. She formed a little thought in the back of her mind, _'perhaps he told Aizen?'_ but she brushed it off. She believe that Grimmjow wouldn't do such a thing.

She was partly right about him not telling Aizen, though the person he did tell, told the aforementioned; so he is partly responsible for her experience to become a known thing.

Somewhere within his mind, Grimmjow felt a sense of remorse, but he knew it to be a pointless emotion and ignored it; for now at least. The level of where it is now is nothing compared to what he will feel in a few days time.

"Y-yes Aizen-sama. I was asked a question by Grimmjow, it was simple really; though it reminded me of a bad experience and wounds left to simmer."

He quirked and intrigued eye brow, "do tell."

With every ounce of her being she wanted to ignore that comment, no, the order. But seeing as it is such, she had to tell him; she was being forced to. She shook, worse than Inoue with the attempt of suppressing her feelings yet again. Surprisingly, she heard a voice in her head, she was unconsciously letting her control on her mind powers slip thanks to the effort of holding back her feelings.

The voice, though small in the back of her head, came out strong and powerful. As if the person sitting next to her really had said it.

_'Damn you, Aizen; you bastard.'_

With the new restored faith in Grimmjow, she pulled herself together, somewhat, and told the condensed story; one of which she left out most names.

"Grimmjow asked me a question, and I overreacted to the answer. I was unable to hide my feelings and everything from the past few weeks came crashing down on me then." She kept a stoic expression, one that could rival even Ulquiorra's.

Aizen sensed that there was still things left unsaid, but did not press farther; no need to make himself look desperate for information. Information, in fact, that he will just receive from Grimmjow eventually anyway. So for once, he let the incompetence to answer slide, and dismissed the people gathered before him.

Behind his throne and hidden between two pillars, lay a door. Aizen retreated to the door, after he called Gin back into the room only to dismiss him again on surveillance purposes. The door leads to a hallway. A hallway, that when followed all the way through, winds up and to the top of the dome in Las Noches. At the end of the hallway there are three doors, two facing the person walking up to them, and one down a smaller branch of white halls to the right.

The two doors that a person would first notice when walking up the hall, lead to a kitchen and bathroom respectively from left to right. All the way to the right, lay a bedroom. One that is the size of a presidential suite in a high class hotel.

When Aizen first walked into the room he took his ever present white kind of trench coat off and put it on the back of a very white, very large, couch. Across from the couch lays a smaller white loveseat and a chair and a half. Each facing the larger couch diagonally. Walking in past the couches and the large glass coffee table, two steps down lead to a sunken floor landing. It was relatively wide, around ten feet, with a rectangular and, you guessed it, white rug running through it from one set of stairs to the other. On either side of the carpet lay two closets, set perfectly centered on the wall. One side his, the other; hers.

Though the most intriguing thing about the runner going through the center of the sunken floor, is that on a pedestal in the middle, a little orb lay enclosed within a square case.

The set of stairs, five steps high, lead to another landing which looks over the whole room before it. To the left, two chairs with high backs sat between a square table with matching standing lamps next to each. To the right, lay a shared desk with an all glass top. Two chairs accompanied it to make it look of use, other wise, the desk had only a few papers lying on it and looked completely useless.

Aizen made a move to take the papers, they contain information he needs to read. He glanced at the paper for a few seconds, _-So who have you been with?-_ the question read. He chuckled slightly to himself over the way she can be so straightforward. It actually made him want to read the whole conversation from the beginning.

In the middle of the room lay three large windows, cascading into an arch, or semi-circle, design. The windows however, looked out towards the perpetual moon of Hueco Mundo instead of the artificial light within the dome itself. Centered, like everything else in the monster of a room, lay a king sized bed. Within the bed, on the right side, lay the kings girlfriend, no; lover.

"Momo my darling," Aizen called to her.

She looked out from behind the magazine she was reading, one that she picked up from her recent visit to the human realm.

"Yes my love?"

To an onlooker it would be strange how informal they are around each other. If it was merely just an affair, a way to take advantage and use the girl for his plans (like so many in Las Noches have speculated), then why would they share a room?

Why would they address each other so informally?

Why does it seem that when Aizen looked into her eyes, he was being true?

Not just true as in words, but in actions, motives and thoughts. Most importantly; true in love.

Yes, he truly loves Momo. Not so surprisingly, she truly loves him back.

If there is love between an evil mastermind and the shy girl who took every one by surprise with her betrayal, surely there is hope for Graciela.

Surely.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

_'How.. how did he know?'_

That singular thought ran through my mind the rest of the day. Even when Grimmjow made some sort of movement, some action to try and get me mad; I didn't react.

I couldn't face him; not yet anyway. Especially with the possibility that he's the one who told Aizen about my break down.

'Gracie, you know that he was outside of your room the whole time.' Celest tried to reason.

_'_Yea well the only reason I did that was because I was subconsciously reaching out for someone to comfort me, no thanks to you guys,' I added as an after thought. If they had just helped me keep my senses in check I would not have been aware of Grimmjow at all, but in this case it's a good thing. I know that he didn't go to anyone in the time he was out side my door.

_'Why is it that when you're down and depressed and feeling like crap, you always reach out for other people. To comfort them or just worry about them; why waste your time.'_

**'Ry is right Gracie, you always end up getting hurt in the end.'**

My expression, now shocked, caused Grimmjow to look over at me. He must have noticed that I'm no longer playing with my bedspread.

'No, the only reason I get hurt is because people are stupid. You know what? Shit happens then you die, it's as simple as that.'

**'Yea and then even more shit happens in the after life.'**

I was stunned into silence again.

Celest sighed, 'the only reason we are saying this is because Grimmjow is the enemy here. In the end the enemy always comes back to hurt you. Besides, that's why they're your enemy in the first place; because they hurt you and the ones you love.'

'Grimmjow is different! I know that he is the enemy but he will listen to me! Someone who listens can't be all that bad!'

**'Prove it,'** Ella challenged.

'Erm.. well. Oh Aizen!'

_'Him? How can you use him as an example! He's as cold and heartless as it gets!' _Ry said condescendingly.

Boy was I going to show her, 'you guys watch through my eyes, you see it. You all saw when I first got here and how he looked into Momo's eyes. That twang of jealousy I felt towards her, why else do you think I got so mad at her! It was for no reason and normally if I get mad I have one.'

'But that doesn't mean anything about listening.'

'Yes it does! He must have heard her out in some way of another for them to be together. Maybe he found a way to listen to the way her heart would beat when he was around her, maybe he listened to a confession, I don't know the specificities*! But I do know that it all started with someone listening.'

**'Stop being so stubborn!'** Ella screamed at me.

We all stayed in silence before I tuned them out. Now not only am I even more mad than I was when Aizen asked me personal questions, but I'm tired and emotionally drained as well.

I walked over to Grimmjow and tapped his shoulder lightly. I pointed to myself, then to the closet. Then I pointed to him and right after the door. He got the hint, but quirked and eye brow at why I wouldn't talk to him. I just shook my head and ushered him out the door.

Quickly I changed and hopped back into bed, not without opening the door for Grimmjow, of course.

The mood in the room took on an angry one, without turning my head, I could tell Grimmjow had a scowl on his face.

"Oi brat, you look pathetic. Just get over yourself why don't you?"

His words stung, they stung deep. But I know that they are his way of trying to comfort me, that I am sure of.

'I know Grimmjow, I know.' I answered him in my own mind, 'but if I get over myself; I will surely only focus on other's well beings. Never again mine.'

I drifted off into unconsciousness to another singularity, 'but then I suppose I would never get hurt.'

The next morning I woke up to find Grimmjow m.i.a.* Shrugging, I got up to stretch and walk around a little. I feel much better today, and finally decided to do something productive such as actually moving around.

Remembering, kind of randomly, that I told Grimmjow I would move the notes we wrote. Looking under the mattress, I couldn't find them.

'Hm, Grimmjow must have moved them, he's the only other person who knew they were there.'

Moving my gaze from the mattress back to the whole bed, I realized how much of a mess the bed was. Sighing, I threw the pillows off the bed, then the comforter, then the sheets. Time to make the bed look decent. The attempt didn't go far though, for as soon as I started to shake out the sheets Grimmjow came barging in.

"Oi brat, let's go," he called while grabbing my arm. When he slammed the door we really started to rush.

"Grimmjow, let go! I can walk on my own. Besides, where are we going? Why are we in such a rush?"

"Here take this," he said thrusting a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a roll at my face, "eat quick, we're already late for the meeting."

The mention of a meeting made me not want to eat my favorite breakfast food any more.

"Crap!"

"Shut up brat, we have to go!" Grimmjow called back.

I ripped my arm from his vice grip, "you go on ahead, I need to do something."

"What the-"

"Just wait for me outside of the doors I'll be there in a few minutes don't worry!" I interrupted.

Slightly jogging backwards I waited until he nodded to transport myself back to my room. Remembering Aizen's warning from last time, I had to change into the gown. Quickly throwing off the sluttish shirt and comfortable pants, I opened the closet and grabbed the dress.

Realizing fully how little time I have before Aizen gets pissed, I transported myself into the dress. Yea I found out that I could do that yesterday when being too lazy and upset to bother changing correctly.

I did a one over in the mirror before I transported myself to Grimmjow's location by the doors.

"Took you long enough," he said after blatantly checking me out.

He opened the doors and I did everything in my power to suppress the blush that appeared on my cheeks. For once, it actually worked.

Inside, we parted. Grimmjow went to his usual seat at the long table and I went to stand next to Orihime.

"To start this off, it has come to my attention that we have not seen one of our guests display her power," Aizen looked pointedly at me, in turn, I became slightly nervous.

'Do you think he would make me demonstrate my powers right here? Now even?'

'I wouldn't bet on it,' Celest reassured.

Calmed down, I began to pay attention to Aizen's words again.

"Though one of my own espada has seen her fight, Grimmjow," he paused to give each member in the room the opportunity to shift their gaze to the man in question, "you have fought with her before. Since you lost to her, I can assume she is stronger than you. On which espada's level do you think Graciela here would be on?"

Please, please, please, plea~se don't let him say Nnoitra.

"Ulquiorra. She couldn't be much better than him."

Oh thank god.

"Hm," Aizen began, "very well then. In two days time, Ulquiorra will battle Graciela. Everyone is welcome to watch," Aizen finished with.

I looked at him through my peripheral vision, there was something else behind his words that I sensed. Perhaps he wants more people to see me, what he assumes, lose? Does he doubt my powers? Or maybe he's just giving the arrancar reason to believe that I'm weak-

**'Graciela stop. Your rambling is annoying, just shut up; who cares. You'll fight him, and win. End of story.'**

I deadpanned, 'thanks Ella.'

I tried to tune into what Aizen began to ramble about now, but found it exceedingly difficult. No wonder Starrk always falls asleep at these things…

I then thought of a way to amuse myself while putting up with the rest of the meeting, a little mind snooping can't hurt. Can it?

'Are you guys in?' I called out mentally to them. Celest didn't say anything but I got okays from Ry and Ella, along with suggestions as to whose mind to look into first.

Boy does Starrk has interesting dreams. Each sequence was different and all of them completely random. In the first dream he was sitting at some random restaurant in the human world just eating hamburgers. One after the other after the other, he seemed sad and desperate as if the inability to become full left him empty inside. It was weird…

The second dream consists of him walking a pet dog, well, it looked more like a wolf. He kept walking around this one city block, at some points Lilynette joined him and pet the wolf but would not stay for long.

**The most interesting part about this dream is when another girl, Penelope, one of his fracción, appeared next to him. She would be walking with him and holding a smaller wolf on a leash next to her. At certain points it would flash a bright light and they would be holding hands, the next flash he had his arm around her waist and hers around his shoulders. The last flash would appear right as the two went to kiss. Then memories of Penelope yelling at Starrk would show up and the dream would restart.**

The last dream was the weirdest one, Starrk was just standing there in a vacuum. He felt like he couldn't breathe but didn't feel the need to. I felt his confusion and his loneliness and it reminded me so much of what happened with Hitsugaya…

**'Gracie, don't go there,'**Ella warned me.

I mentally shook my head to clear the thoughts, they're right, there's no need to go back to that place.

I dismissed Ella's thought of going through Nnoitra's mind and jumped at Ry's vote for Szayel's mind. It was empty for a few seconds before a mental lightbulb went off and he started to think different formulas and calculations; he had thought of a new… something.

I quickly left his mind after that, I actually became slightly dizzy with all the scientific mumblings running through his head.

Next on the suggestion list lays Grimmjow. Although I wanted to very badly, I actually knew him so I resisted the urge. For out of everyone in the room he is probably the only one that could recognize my presence.

Settling for Ulquiorra, I hoped on over into his mind. Absolutely no thoughts were running through his head, well other than Aizen's words echoing throughout and being stored into memory. Since his mind was empty, I decided to improvise, even though I know Celest will kill me.

_'The woman is really pretty, she's such a princess. My princess, oh… Orihime,' _I thought for him longingly. Let's see how implanting this thought goes…

Quickly I escaped him mind. Without making it too obvious I refocused my gaze back onto Aizen, not above his head. Now I was looking at Ulquiorra through my peripheral vision and barely stifled my laughs. The shocked expression on his face said it all so clearly, I would have never even thought about going into his mind to find out every detail.

Though as fast as the look came, it left, only being noticed my myself and, of course; Aizen. Speaking of which, he was closing up the meeting.

"That is all."

Wow, time flies when you're having fun with other people's minds.

'Right guys?'

_**'Yea!' **_Ry and Ella agreed simultaneously again.

It struck me as weird how Celest didn't scold me about the thought implants, but I shrugged it off. I was just happy to be out of that five hour long meeting.

Yea, five hours. Hence why I was able to observe three of Starrk's dream sequences. Considering I saw three, and each sequence is and hour and a half long… wow time does more than fly, it soars!

_'Well wasn't that punny,'_ Ry said sarcastically.

I mentally made a face at her, sticking my tongue out.

Filing out of the meeting room, I met up with Grimmjow and we wake back to my room in silence.

When we got back and Grimmjow shut the door, I asked what I meant to ask him this morning.

"So what happened to the notes?"

"Hm?" He questioned back.

"The notes I hid under the mattress, I went to move them today and they were gone."

"I moved them into my room cause you never know if Aizen would decide to check your room," Grimmjow replied offhandedly.

"Couldn't he just as easily check yours?" I asked back, the logic didn't seem sound to me.

"Yea but he wouldn't," and Grimmjow let it at that.

I thought it over a little, I suppose since they are fighting for him he would have no reason to search their rooms. What could they have to hide anyway?

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

The rest of the night passed quickly for Graciela, her and Grimmjow got to talking again and all her prior suspicions were forgotten.

The night passed without incident, or noise. Almost too perfect of a night, which left Aizen in anticipation for a move from soul society.

Morning however is a different story in the world of the living.

"So is it finally ready yet?" Matsumoto asked, she was starting to get impatient.

"Actually, yes," Kisuke replied with.

"How much longer is it- wait, what!"

"I said that it's done."

"What's done?" Said Rukia who just walked down stairs.

"The garganta, it's finished," Kisuke said again, he was getting tired of people asking him the same question over and over again.

_'I swear if someone asks that one more time-' _but his thoughts were interrupted.

"IT'S FINISHED?" Ichigo screamed barging into the room. He stooped over and put his hands on his knees, as if he ran all the way here.

Kisuke and Matsumoto sweat dropped, Rukia on the other hand spoke everyones thoughts.

"How do you even know?" She half screamed, getting into his face.

"I heard you guys!"

"Do you have super hearing or something? Last time I checked you were absolutely no where near this building!"

"Well then you are a bad checker because when you left I woke up and saw you out my window and followed you here because I'm a ninja!"

"No you're an idiot carrot top!"

"I'm a STRAWBERRY. Not a CARROT."

"Oh so you admit it? Okay, Strawberry."

"NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

Kisuke and Matsumoto just watched the whole thing, their heads turning from one to the other as words were exchanged. Hitsugaya walked down stairs and started to watch the whole thing go down. Each time their voices rose or the words exchanged became even more idiotic, his eye twitched even more.

Until finally…

"SHUT. UP!"

That quieted them.

"Thank you, now are we leaving?"

Kisuke looked pointedly at Rukia and Ichigo, "well I was going to let every one go right away, but seeing as the way the two of them," he pointed at the aforementioned, "have behaved, I think you need some more training since on the control of yourselves when with other people that annoy you. For when in Las Noches, it would be very bad to get noticed like that. So you will be leaving tomorrow early morning instead. Good day," and he made his exit.

"You two…" Hitsugaya began threateningly, he had a dark aura around him and before he got any more words out every one disappeared from around him.

He sighed exasperatedly and trudged back up stairs.

* * *

"Morning Graciela," Grimmjow held a strangely serious aura around him. It unnerved Gracie quite a lot but she answered all the same, thinking that he may just be having a bad day.

"Morning Grimm," as she started calling him, "why so serious?" She asked playfully.

"I had a flashback," he started very unsure of himself and what he is about to do, "I remember how I died."

"You, you do? Like.. your death as a- as a… human?" She asked tentatively.

"Yea, and I thought I should let you know," he got up to sit next to her on the bed, with each step more and more dread filled his mind. Already regretting having to follow Gin, and Aizen's orders, he started to recite the 'confession' so that Gracie in turn gives him- no Aizen, the greatest amount of leverage over her.

"It was me and my friends and we were all drinking one night, that night I was getting particularly drunk because I just had a bad breakup," Gracie's heart constricted over this, "and needed some alcohol therapy. My friends decided that it would be funny to race me while I was drunk out of my mind. Since I have always been one to hold my liquor they never really knew how drunk I was, but asked for the race anyway because they also knew that I wouldn't give up a good challenge."

He paused for a moment as if to compose himself. But in reality, he was just trying to remember the rest of the fake story.

"Since I was the track star of the school they knew that I wouldn't lose, even drunk. They rules were that the first one to the cliff side would win. Well I made it there, and won, but my other friend who I was racing tripped into me and pushed me over. But hey, maybe it's all just what it came to me as, a dream. It doesn't seem like it could happen-"

Gracie, in tears, interrupted him with a hug. It was the first contact they made body to body, other than fighting.

"No…it's probably real. I," she choked down a sob to tell her story, "died in a way similar to that."

Grimmjow's eyes widened at the revelation. Now he understands why Gin told him to say the, almost unbelievable, story. To get her to relate and share her past.

"Me and my- my… friends," she sounded reluctant to let that word slip out of her mouth, "were playing a game. I was dared to go to the edge of the cliff and do a certain act... When we were about to complete the act, they pushed me off and I broke my back on the rocks and bled to death. I still-" she broke down and through her loud cried managed to finish the last bit, "remember every single ounce of pain they put me through while I was on those rocks."

Later into her crying fit, she managed a few more words, "it was all- it was all out of jealousy!"

Grimmjow, at this point and time, felt the worst he has ever in his entire life. Even killing as many people as he has doesn't suffice for the amount of remorse he feels right now.

"I-I'm sorry," he said into her ear. What most surprised Grimmjow is that he meant it, he truly meant it. For everything he was forced to do to her and what he will have to tomorrow.

"Th-," her voice cracked, "thank you."

* * *

*I really love this word, ahha.  
*For those who don't know, Missing In Action  
**The character Penelope mentioned in these is not my own, she belongs to rainy-lullaby and only to her**  
Yes, Grimmjow is a little OOC but he needed to be.

Like it? Don't like it? Think it's cute? Please review! =3 :D

Friday, 12:32 am.


	13. Chapter 13: Event Horizon

Thanks to Nyxtolouloudo for subscribing and xLilim (as per usual) for reviewing!  
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. The song does not belong to me either.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

"Remember, I don't know where you will end up in Hueco Mundo. It could be in the farthest dessert, or practically on Aizen's lap. What ever you do, be careful!" Urahara ushered the group off after their long wait.

"Ya, whatever, we'll be fine," Ichigo said cockily with a smug smiled before he passed fully through the garganta.

"See ya on the flipside!" Matsumoto called.

She, being the last one to go through, left the room in silence.

_'Flipside?'_ Urahara thought. Then went to research (google), the expression and it's meaning.

He was typing away on his computer trying to find the definition when Yoruichi came in. She didn't even ask, she just shook her head at his antics then walked out laughing slightly to herself.

"What! I need to research to keep myself busy now that every one is gone!" Only then did he realize how true his words were.

"Brat, hurry up!"

"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying!"

Gracie and Grimmjow rushed through the halls to the training area within the large dome.

Grace gave Grimmjow her 'scared-as-all-hell' look, and he just rolled his eyes at her. He thought at least he could give her a slight hint that something is up by not talking to her the whole day so far. Unfortunately for Grimmjow, he never really talks to her unless they ask each other questions anyway, so the hint went straight over Gracie's head.

"I can't believe that you told Aizen the truth, why couldn't you have let me fight like, Szayel or who ever the 9th espada is?"

He sighed, "just don't let him go hand to hand with you."

She gulped, she knew she was bad with hand to hand combat, but she thought she might have had even the slightest chance, "he's that good at it?"

"He mastered it," was Grimmjow's choice words.

He never would have comforted her by lying so the thought would have never crossed his mind, but he found no use to lie to her anyway; especially not about this upcoming fight.

When Gracie stepped into the training room, a few seconds after Grimmjow, the whole place went completely silent.

Unsure of what to do, Gracie stepped over to where Ulquiorra was waiting; in front of Aizen. The latter seems to have brought his throne from the meeting room into here, for it was set up on a higher platform to observe and analyze the upcoming battle.

"Now Grimmjow, you are absolutely certain that she is on par with Ulquiorra?"

Aizen asked the question as if he knew what Gracie and Grimmjow were talking about on there way in. Without Grimmjow noticing, Gracie looked at him in hopes of going back on his word. Unfortunately for Gracie, he did no such thing.

"Hai, Aizen-sama," he responded with.

"Very well then, you two," he motioned to the arrancar and shinigami standing next to him, "will begin."

Immediately, the two jumped away from each other and the tension in the room rose. Gracie, a powerful but rather inexperienced fighter was unsure of what to do next; or really, how to start.

After a few tense minutes, what felt like hours to the two ready to fight, Ulquiorra demanded, "fight me, trash."

Gracie knew she should oblige by his words, but made no such move. Finally, Ulquiorra made the first move; charging at her with his extremely fast sonído.

Not wanting to play the role of a coward, Gracie stood her ground to block. Their swords clashed and she held back his blade until she decided it would be time to strategize. When her arms began to feel the slightest amount of numbness, she transported away from him and quickly thought of something to do.

Ulquiorra, on the other hand, just observed her when she was thinking. He assaulted her with a series of attacks and watched the way she blocked, for her weaknesses and what side is her weaker one; where it would be best to attack. Gracie soon turned the tables and attacked him. She thought that she was getting some where but in reality, Ulquiorra lightened up so that he could observe her mannerisms. A whole five minutes was spent observing each other, Gracie was about to release her hollow powers, but Ulquiorra cut her off with a powerful green cero of his.

Seeing no other way out, Gracie had to transport herself away until the cero passed. By doing so, she showed them her hand over Ulquiorra. Sure, he has amazing speed but she can avoid any attack my dematerializing her body then popping up somewhere else.

Aizen looked impressed, but only for a mere second. Then his face took on the normal pleasant look, one he always wears when planning how someone can become even more useful to his plans.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened for a split second in realization of the advantage Gracie has over him and actually began to deem her worthy of his time, she is far too interesting for him not to end up seeing her as such anyway.

If it wasn't on Aizen's orders, then Ulquiorra would just be drawing his sword now. But now he looked to Aizen for confirmation to release his zanpakuto, with the slight nod of Aizen's head, Ulquiorra did as allowed.

"Enclose Murciélago," he announced stoically as usual. Of the espada that were watching, most gasped slightly. They didn't think that Aizen would allow an espada to release to merely result in the show of some of the powers that this girl, the elemental, has control of.

Gracie, now, just understood the severity of this fight. Aizen really wants to see all her powers. Of course, thanks to her cunningness, she never planned on showing him all of them. It was always good to withhold information from Aizen if one had the chance, then he might end up even the slightest amount unsure of how the pawn would be useful to him. In the end, that unsureness could become his downfall.

A wave of black, dense, spirit energy flew out from Ulquiorra. It then seemed to have dissipated and now is falling around him as a kind of green rain. Gracie didn't know what to make of it, sure she saw people harden their spiritual pressure until it was visible, but she never saw it falling around the owner like acid rain. It intimidated Gracie and, although she wouldn't ever admit it; scared her.

She wanted Aizen to know of as little of her powers as it would be possible, but no, she had to use them. As some sort of justification, or rather, letting herself know that she is really going to release her powers; she called out, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Of the person who heard her, Aizen (who else would it be?), he raised an eye brow. Never had he heard such a saying, and pondered over what it could mean until Gracie released.

"Consume all, Burakkuhōru," the circular, galaxy shaped swirl of 'stars' on her sword began to spin until it turned completely circular and pitch black.

_**'Finally I get some fun, c'mon Gracie we got this,'**_ Ella said ecstatically from Gracie's mind before Ella let her powers fully flow through Gracie's body and extend to her sword. Gracie felt the power surge when the transformation completed and her hollow bone took place on the back of her skull. Over the past few times that Gracie has trained, especially when using her hollow powers, things have been changing with how they manifest themselves.

For instance, Gracie's hollow remnants used to be a pure white, now, light blue dots trailed up the sides and directly in the middle lay a small black circle. From the circle smaller black dots seem to 'shoot' out from the center in opposite directions; almost like a black hole spitting out a star. Violent, yet beautifully mysterious.

For once, Gracie decided to let the tight hold she always has over her spiritual pressure go. Speaking of such, doesn't it figure that since no one can sense her reiatsu it would have been very easy to leave Las Noches?

Ignoring that thought, Gracie turned her full attention on the fight. During the times she trained with Ella in her inner realm, she would automatically go into her 'fight mode' once she released Ella's powers. Their shared theory was because of the new attack they started practicing.

For a seemingly endless amount of minutes; Ulquiorra and Gracie clashed swords over and over. They attacked from different angles, used different speeds and tricks, that each thought out to use against the other. To the crowd, really just Aizen, it appeared that they were not only evenly matched in strength, but in wits as well.

Although Aizen is no fool, he could tell the two of them have some sort of a pocket ace; the real battle now is who decides to use it first.

The both of them formed plans, each with the same objective; to make the other release the attacks that they are holding back. Each plan in itself has complicated and decisive in roots.

Ulquiorra took a rather uncharacteristic approach; seeing as he deemed Graciela as 'interesting'. Thanks to the information Aizen gave to him on Gracie for the fight, he learned that she is easy to make emotionally unstable. He also knows that she can read minds. Combining those two facts, he got his battle strategy. His ability to disintegrate his eye to show past events, also became a part of his plot.

When Gracie came close enough, he disintegrated his eye and the dust encircled her. Not expecting thoughts to be protruding from the particles, she took a small part of her mind off the fight to block the thoughts. During that small opening, Ulquiorra used his enhanced sonído to leave her field of vision. Quickly, Graciela turned around to track him again. Since Ulquiorra still flew around the room at a speed Gracie couldn't follow thanks to her minute loss in concentration; her attempt failed. As a way to quickly track down where he is, she searched for his mind. While he was avoiding her searching gaze, he kept a strong trace on her reiatsu. Thanks to said trace, when she entered his mind; he was well aware of the presence.

That's when he sprung his trap.

He called his eye back, and as it materialized back in its socket, the last 'thought', really memory, from it rang through his head and into Gracie's.

_'Now, I understand that you were very upset the past few days.' 'Y-yes Aizen-sama... Grimmjow asked me a question, and I overreacted to the answer. I was unable to hide my feelings and everything from the past few weeks came crashing down on me then...'_

Gracie, effected by the memory, let her guard slip as everything about Hitsugaya rushed into her head. Now, Ulquiorra took his plan into the final stage.

He generated and positioned multiple, thought it seemed like thousands, javelins surrounding Gracie's ignorant form. At the last possible second, Gracie's eyes snapped up to Ulquiorra's with vengeance, but by then the javelins were already piercing her skin.

Presumably.

This made Gracie's plan all the more easy to initiate. Now that she knows that Ulquiorra released his 'trump card', she can put hers into play.

Transporting herself out of the attack, then back into the same spot moments after the attacks effects stopped. All that was left is the debris from the crater Ulquiorra put in the ground. One that Gracie should be at the bottom of.

When the dust cleared, even Ulquiorra gasped. Aizen sat in his seat, smug as ever and Grimmjow looked pissed. Thought he has the right to be, she made him shit bricks for nothing.

"Oops, looks like you missed," Gracie teased Ulquiorra in a slightly aloof tone.

Elsewhere, a certain fox and his pink haired companion noticed eight foreign, to Hueco Mundo, spiritual pressures pass through into the last sector of security around all of Las Noches. The pressures showed up as dots, and as they got closer to the camera, where the censor first detected them, orange hair was detected, then white.

But by then Gin already went to report his, really Szayel's equipment's, finding.

"Let's go Ella," Gracie called out.

_**'On it chief,'**_ she called back before materializing next to Gracie.

"Ready?" she called one she was palpable.

"As ever," and Gracie's trump card fell into play.

Gracie seemed to charge up a small black ball in the palm of her right hand. Ulquiorra, actually a little angered over the fact that she escaped his attack when it was so perfectly planned, attempted to attack Gracie while she was readying herself.

"Nice try," she said when he got within bounds of her gravity field. Not only did she increase the gravity along the edge of the small bubble tenfold, but she also supplied a small, on her standards, dose of electricity to surge through any unlucky soul who dared cross it.

Shocked, quite literally, Ulquiorra stepped back and tried to process the event that just happened. He didn't even see anything, only felt, he didn't even realize that the top of the horn from his hollow remnants was charred a little.

Where he stepped, fit perfectly into Gracie' calculations as well. It was right on the borderline of how far Ella could go away from Gracie's body. Noticing the window that just opened, Gracie shoved the black orb into Ella. In the exact place where Ulquiorra's hollow hole lay, between his clavicles.

Ella, dematerializing as she ran for the man along the border of her reach, stepped through Ulquiorra's body. Thought she left the little black orb behind her.

It lay, as some sort of plug, in Ulquiorra's hollow hole.

His eyes widened, never has anyone planned their assault using something he never knew himself to be a weakness. Said eyes flew into slits and he actually looked slightly angered. But the emotion disappeared moments after. Unfortunately for Gracie, he was now more hell bend on kill- defeating her, then ever.

Or is this turn of events really fortunate?

Ulquiorra charged up his cero oscuras. Though unknown to him, a small amount of the charge shot out through the back of his hollow hole. When it was charged up to full power, Gracie actually sat down, in the middle of a very serious battle.

"What are you doing. brat!" was heard from the sidelines.

_'Watch!'_ she ushered back to her trusted friend.

Ulquiorra made a move to fire the massive cero, but it backfired on him, quite literally.

Out of the backside of his hollow hole, a steady stream of his black cero spewed out. The story read the same for the front of his body. The green outline, that was part of the massive charge but moments ago, spiraled outwards and in some passes, through his body*. Ulquiorra's eyes started closing, but he fought the unconsciousness consuming him. He blinked quickly, trying to hold his ground. That last struggle backfired horribly as the spiral of energy particles and the black cero started to return back into the center of his hollow hole. When the result of the backfired cero reached the center, he fell to his knees, then, for lack of a better term, faceplanted directly at Gracie's crossed feet.

Getting up, Gracie stood over her defeated opponent. Rather ironically, she stabbed her hand through Ulquiorra's hollow hole to retrieve the black sphere. As she walked back over to her former sitting position, the black hole disintegrated and was absorbed into Gracie's skin.

Almost simultaneously, the entire room felt a monumental increase in spiritual pressure from the girl in front of their eyes.

Lifting his head off of his hand, Aizen announced, "Graciela has defeated Ulquiorra."

The room, still stunned in silence, still said nothing after Aizen's final remark, "that was very hollow like of you Gracie."

_'No crap, hollow powers are hollow like!'_ she added in her head for she is way to afraid to say anything along those lines outside of a minds boundaries.

The room stayed in silence a few more seconds. Until, that is, Gin came dashing in. Immediately Aizen picked up on the severe atmosphere around him and dismissed everyone from the training grounds, "leave. Now."

Small talk erupted and Inoue rushed over to heal Ulquiorra, but surprisingly, she found not a single wound on his body.

"Aizen-sama," Gin said, "they're here. Sector 10 just like you had said to look for."

"Very well then, you know what to do when they reach our outer fortresses walls, I will be on my way."

"Hai," and Aizen left the room.

"When do I confront them?" Momo asked.

"Give it time my love, then you will get a word with your childhood friend, and point him to the direction of our greatest asset," Aizen reassured _his_ love.

They kissed and she lay back on the mattress in his arms, they will play no role in the shinigami's invasion until much later in the intrusion.

He knew that she shouldn't have, but he shouted out to her anyway. Now she thought he was worried about her, which he is, but more of the after math then the hurricane itself.

Halfway to her room, she realized that she never suppressed her reiatsu. Quickly, she pulled the door shut and kept a tight grip on her spiritual pressure. Grimmjow looked towards her, and she took it as queue to talk to him.

Stupid Grimmjow, talking with her now will only make it harder later.

"So how did you like the fight?" she knew just how to get him to talk, and fighting was something he could never shut up about once he started a rant on it.

And boy, did he want to point out how badly she handed Ulquiorra's ass to him. But no, he forced himself to keep relatively quiet.

"It was entertaining," but he ended it there.

Gracie's eye brows flew up in shock at his evasiveness, but did not question him on it. Over the past week and a half she learned his mannerisms well and knew when to talk, what about, and when to hold her mouth. It truly was amazing how quickly a friendship can bloom thanks to Aizen's orders.

A few feet from Gracie's door, Grimmjow stopped and grabbed something from his pocket. Just standing there, Gracie came back out of her room when she realized that someone was missing.

"C'mon Grimm!" she said while moving closer to him.

The remorse, regret, pain, everything was swirling around his insides at that moment. She sounded like she always does when she wants to talk with him. Playful, yet very mature and serious behind the tone.

Torn apart at the seams between the only person he could call his friend, and his masters orders; he sided with his master. If the orders were disobeyed then Grimmjow would be as good as dead, at least this way they can both live.

"Gracie," Grimmjow started low and very serious.

The prior moved closer to him in worry, her face scrunched up with concern. She placed a comforting hand on his arm and moved even closer so. But she just fell into his trap.

He leaned in closer to her, and bent down slightly to her level.

"I'm sorry," was all he whispered into her ear.

"Wha-?" was all she could make out.

He stabbed her through the gut with pantera.

On queue her eyes started to water, but she didn't let any fall yet.

"G-grimm... Grimm-jow... why?" she managed to choke out.

That's all she waned, an answer, but he couldn't even give that to her.

"I'm sorry," he repeated again.

Pulling the sword up, through her innards, her blood curdling scream echoed throughout the halls.

Grimmjow, as tough as he is, nearly puked; he felt so disgusted with himself.

The sword, pushed straight through the frail girl in his arms, was bound to come out at some time. To finish the job as Aizen ordered, he slowly twisted the sword in a clockwise motion.

Her scream came through even louder this time, and Grimmjow tasted bile on the back of his throat.

Her tears came flowing harder then they ever did for Hitsugaya, but he was but one of the many she was thinking of while she hung suspended in air by Grimmjow's blade.

Quickly, he pulled his sword from the girl. Screaming in pain and agony, distain and heart break, though mostly betrayal; she fell back onto him. He resisted the urge to throw up once more when she tipped her head back and looked into his eyes.

Oh god, her eyes. Everything was expressed in that single look. For a brief moment he could see into her soul, into her mind and the tables were turned. Although Gracie didn't want to admit it, she felt disgusted with herself for believing all the lies Grimmjow fed to her.

She screamed again, this time in hope of catching someones attention.

Unable to stand it any more, Grimmjow gagged slightly, then stepped away from Gracie.

Her pitiful form fell, crumpled, and nearly lifeless onto the cold white floors of Las Noches.

Her blood, the purest of red, the only color ever seen in Las Noches through all the pristine white.

Her sobs, that screamed to Grimmjow louder than her cries, echoed in his ears for hours, days, afterwards.

Her eyes, oh god her eyes.

_'Your eyes_

_As we said our goodbyes_

_Can't get them out of my mind_

_And I find I can't hide_

_From your eyes.'_

_

* * *

_

*Along the lines of: .

h t t p : / / w o p a t . u c h i c a g o . e d u / B l a c k h o l e . j p g just without the spaces.

**HOLY CRAP WAS THIS HARD FOR ME TO WRITE. I stared at the screen for a while fighting tears before I could type this down TT_TT

Saturday 3:25 am.


	14. Chapter 14: Parallax

Thanks to HTM for reviewing, I really appreciate it!  
This chapter reminds me of the song 'The End' by Mayday Parade and 'Wake For Young Souls' by Third Eye Blind.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the_"lyrics"_.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

Shortly after Grimmjow fled the scene of his regrettable crime, Inoue scurried down the hall as requested by Aizen. On sight of the bleeding girl, Inoue went straight to work, but not without wondering how Aizen knew Gracie would be attacked. Within seconds the bleeding stopped, and a full five minutes later Gracie had nothing but a large scar that Inoue worked on for another short time before that too; disappeared.

With the completion of her healing, Gin showed up to move Gracie back into her room, again; on orders from Aizen. Inoue figured that his timing is just impeccable, but Gin knew better. His knowledge of Aizen's orders cause him to feel sorry for Gracie, after all that she's been through just for the sake of Aizen's master plan.

Even now, Gin observed, when he placed Gracie on her bed she is distraught while in what was supposed to be peaceful; sleep. Even the depths of her subconscious couldn't comfort her. Shortly after his observation, Gin retreated from the room and went to Grimmjow's.

Two knocks on the door later, a brooding brute opened the door angrily. Peering inside, Gin saw that his whole room lay in disarray. With holes in the walls, furniture flipped over, and a shattered glass scattered the floor from what used to be a mirror.

"What do you want Gin?" Grimmjow raged.

"Aizen wants ta see ya."

"Ya? Well Aizen can go screw himself."

Making a move to slam his door, Gin stopped it and repeated himself, "Aizen wants ta see ya," then added, "I don't think he would appreciate not getting the report on the completion of your task."

Grimmjow knew he would have to see Aizen about this eventually, but after he sees Aizen the act would be complete, and the reason for Gracie's broken trust in him will be finalized. Seething, Grimmjow stormed out of his room, leaving the door open. Gin walked into the destroyed room, stopping his mental note of the damage needed to be requested for repair only to read a few sentences on a piece of paper.

_-Hey Grimmjow?- _He could tell the hand writing belongs to a girl.

_-What?- _Knowing that the slightly messy handwriting belongs to Grimmjow he figured that the girl he is writing to would have to be Gracie, since she's the only girl, well person really, that Grimmjow would talk to willingly.

_-Can I tell you something?-_

_-No.-_

_-I'll take that as a yes,-_ Gracie drew a smiley face here, _-I just wanted to let you know that you are one of the few people that I can trust now.-_

_-Oh really?-_

_-Yea, and I also wanted to let you know that you're a really good friend.-_

Unknowingly to Gin, this was said within the first night that Gracie and Grimmjow talked. But from this note, Gin hypothesized two things: one, that Gracie is quick to trust people and two, that's the soul reason why Aizen used such a disturbing method to make sure she would be included in his master plan. Mentally Gin cursed Aizen for playing such a god awful card on Gracie.

With one more look at the piece of paper, every question about Grimmjow's room clicked, Gin understood why he did this, for Gin did the exact thing when Aizen made him break Matsumoto's trust as well. Then the sympathy for Grimmjow fell into place, and Gin vowed to help Grimmjow make things right with Gracie, as he will soon have to do with Matsumoto.

Shortly after Gin left Grimmjow's room, the prior returned to his room. After a tense half hour, of brooding and cursing Aizen mentally, Gracie awoke with a scream. Grimmjow cringed when he heard it and once again, his room suffered as he punched a hole in the door, then kicked it down.

He stormed back out of him room and stomped to the door of another's, but then stopped himself. No longer could he talk to, and be calmed down, by the girl who has been acting as his anger management.

Said girl heard the steps coming to her door and began to whimper quietly out of fear, letting a few tears slip down her cheeks when the realization hit her that Grimmjow did really do the things she thought was just a very, very bad dream.

Realizing his mistake, Grimmjow retreated from Gracie's door as fast as he could possibly go with his sonído. When Gracie no longer heard the breathing coming from the other side of the door, she checked her stomach. Seeing no scar, just perfect skin, she started to sob loudly.

To her, she would rather have the scar. For without the scar, it's as if Grimmjow never betrayed her and everything was right in her life; something she wanted to be true more then anything at the moment. But no, she had to have the memory of him selling her out, and nearly killing her in the process.

The sobs turned uncontrollable, until they became screams muffled only by her pillow. Before long, her tear ducts practically dried out and no more tears fell. But just because there are no tears, does not mean that her screams and sobs stopped either. Not even her inner spirits could calm her this time, and she started to fall into a slight depression.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

'_Gracie, please do something.' _Ry begged me.

**'Gracie, do not become numb!'**Ella began to yell at me.

'Gracie, please at least speak with us. We know you are upset, and angry and every other emotion, even the ones that haven't been given names yet.-'

'I thank you all, but I just want to be left alone now.'

"Why Grimmjow... why?"

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

Gracie's actions, over the night, became the only thing that Ella, Ry and Celest could rely on. Never once did Gracie block out the three of them, so they figured that she wanted to be comforted with the presence, not the words that would do nothing for her.

Her muffled screams of, "why," the phrase that she latched on to, lasted until the early morning when she passed out from exhaustion. Throughout the night, the muffled screams kept Grimmjow up. Although he couldn't hear them that well, those plus the screams he heard before and the whimpers from the other side of Gracie's door, played on constant replay in his mind. He realized now that this feeling is worse then any torture that Aizen would have given him if he said no to this whole scheme in the first place.

When the sobs finally died out, Grimmjow was left in an eerie silence to debate with himself. That one piece of paper that means more than he could fathom to him could possibly be used as a message to Gracie. He debated on weather or not to write something down on the back of the paper, or just to leave the piece as it is and sneak it into Gracie's room.

As sleep started to overwhelm him, he decided to deliver the paper to Gracie- well, leave it in her room.

Honestly the irony practically smothered Grimmjow, this one piece of paper signaled not only the start of their friendship but, now; the end of it as well. Some small part of Grimmjow hoped that it also will signal a future friendship, possibly even more in the end.

Using his hunter's stealth, he snuck into Gracie's room and left the paper on her bed spread. It went unnoticed by him that he placed it over her heart.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear one last time.

Those two words stopped Ella from materializing in the room and beating the crap out of Grimmjow. The regret his tone still held caused the confusion of the three spirits.

Quickly after he spoke his words, he turned to leave. Stealthily, he walked out just as quickly as he walked in. But something stopped Grimmjow at the door.

"Grimmjow..." Gracie called from her slumber.

He turned to the girl, whose subconscious seemed to recognize him, with a spark of hope that he tried to suppress. But the idea that she could forgive him seemed closer to him then ever before with that one word. As he looked back at her, he realized how wrong Ulquiorra is when he claims that arrancar cannot have hearts or human emotions.

"_The day I felt my soul, I felt it die inside of me.."_

His heart broke just a little at her expression, one of which showed horrible pain. Her face scrunched up and tears escaped her closed eyes. When she started to whimper, he had to make himself leave the room because of the reaction that elicited from him. Not only did he feel like he would go into a depression just because she is going into one, but the gagging came back. He hurried out of the room just in time, for as soon as he faced his door, his stomach expelled the remains that lay digesting inside.

This one visit finally broke his composure for he finally came face to face with what he caused.

When he finally entered his room, he couldn't help but feel slightly empty inside. It was strange for him, for he normally would be angry at the world right now, he would be brooding, but really; he shouldn't have cared about her at all in the first place. Hell, it would have made both their lives, at this point; bearable.

He fell asleep thinking about why he changed so much, in such a short period of time. About why he felt so broken hearted and above all, why he felt all this and more for his brat.

His.

* * *

The next morning when Gracie woke up, she felt slightly better for some reason. When she stretched out, she felt the paper on her bed spread and figured out why. When she read the few sentences over, she laughed at the memory through her tears. Though they weren't tears of distress and depression like they have been for what felt like an eternity, this time they were tears expressing some amount of joy.

The positive message Grimmjow wanted to get across by leaving the paper on her bed was received just as that; thankfully. But then Gracie realized something, he betrayed her and lied to her before, perhaps this is just another sick little game that he wants to play with her.

For once in her life, she considered herself pray, more specifically the pray in this emotional game Grimmjow has been playing with her.

Now, doubting her original thoughts on the paper, her tears once again turned to ones expressing despair. She placed the piece of paper on the couch where Grimmjow normally would sit, and with that action she made a pact with herself.

No longer will she be so quick to trust everyone or anyone, because she judged them to be a good person, with good character. More than once that, what used to be a skill, has failed her and caused her more pain then anyone should ever feel in their life time; including the afterlife as well.

With new determination, Gracie dried her tears. This time, she hopes, for good.

Shortly after, there was a knocking on her door.

* * *

*~_Graceful Melody~*_

"Who is it?" I called to the door.

"It's Inoue Orihime," Inoue answered in response.

"Then come on in."

I expected Ulquiorra to be walking in with her, and when he wasn't behind her like a shadow as per usual, my eyes shot up in surprise.

"Hiya Gracie," Inoue waved at me after she closed the door behind her.

"Where's Ulquiorra?" I blurted out.

"He had to go to a meeting so he dropped me off here."

"Oh."

An awkward silence descended upon both of us, we never really talked before and it was strange how this was the place Ulquiorra dropped her off.

'Now's your chance, could you possibly talk to her about the power you must learn?' Celest asked.

"Good point," I accidentally said out loud.

Inoue looked over at me like a lost puppy.

"How am I supposed to 'learn' your power? I can't just absorb someone's abilities, so how is this going to work?"

"Well, my powers come from these clips," Inoue pointed to her flower clips in her hair, "Shun Shun Rikka."

Without notice, six little fairies like spirits appeared around Inoue.

"Are they who you get your powers from?" I asked her, not familiar at all with this type of manifestation of spirits.

"Yup!" Inoue said happily.

"So... how does your healing power work?" I asked her in absolute doubt of being able to even learn the technique.

"Ayame and Shun'o combine and when I called out the phrase Soten Kisshun, I reject; a barrier forms and it restores what was formally there," Inoue finished her speech, happy as usual.

"This is hopeless," I said. Thanks to my mood, my normal optimism left me. Then again, no way was I going to be able to copy, learn, or absorb these powers. Which just so happen to be part of her spirit so any other idea is basically out because I'm not her.

"Not exactly," the fairy that Inoue pointed to before spoke; Shun'o I think he is.

"What do you mean?" Inoue asked, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Well, since we are part of you, you don't necessarily need the clips-"

"I think I see where you're going with this," I added my input and also trying to rush this little encounter along, "Inoue, can I see your clips?"

"Oh, uh, sure."

She took them off, and to hide the fact that I have them, I clipped them behind my ears and underneath a layer of hair.

"Now Orihime," Shun'o started, "activate your powers, you should be able to even though the clip is not present."

Inoue nodded slightly, still confused, but did as requested of her, "Soten Kisshun, I reject."

The orange barrier appeared over Gracie's arm, where Inoue directed it.

Shortly after, Inoue stopped the power and Shun'o appeared again to speak the rest of his idea.

"Gracie, do you have any way of creating a barrier or shield like Orihime does at all?"

"Yes, it's a type of force field," I nodded my head; still not believing that there is really a way to 'learn' Inoue's power.

"Would you activate it?" Shun'o asked me.

Nodding, I activated the gravity field, but did not add any extra pressure. It encompassed the whole room, and Shun'o nodded in approval.

"That's good, and it's barely noticeable. Since you can make it spread over such a wide area, this will probably work better," Shun'o said.

"So what now?" I said, but still kept the force field up.

"Ask Orihime to activate the powers," he said.

"But Shun'o, people will hear if she asks me," Inoue pointed out.

"Not necessarily," I added when it looked like Shun'o was stumped, "I can send, well really implant, messages or thoughts into peoples minds. So I could just ask her mentally."

"Great, would you please do so?"

I nodded my head in compliance, _'Inoue, please activate your powers.'_

"Soten Kisshun, I reject," her hands were not hovering over anything, but because of the properties of the force field I made, her power lit the entire area of the field up with her healing power.

"You can even heal yourself with this Inoue," I pointed out, to which she nodded.

"But how is it supposed to look like I activated it?" I asked, not sure of what to do, "and what would happen if my force field couldn't reach Inoue?"

"Orihime, stop the power," Shun'o commanded, Inoue complied, "now Gracie, say what Orihime said."

"Okay," I said kind of skeptically, I didn't expect this to work, "Soten Kisshun, I reject."

Very surprisingly, the orange glow came from my hands and spread all through the force field. I gasped, not expecting it to work at all.

"Now it will automatically stop at the duration of time that Orihime kept it on. It's very much like charging a battery, the clips being like the battery; retaining the power. Orihime can keep her power on for a shorter time then you can because she has a lower reiatsu than you. If you can find a way to multiply that power then you will be able to keep it for a longer amount of time."

"Well, I have three different releases, then me normally, so I can charge in four different forms. I suppose that would work."

"That means that Orihime would have to use up most of her reiatsu more then once, that could be bad for her health."

"But don't forget Shun'o, with Gracie's force field helping my power I can heal myself," Inoue pointed out.

"Should we try?" I asked Inoue.

"Okay!" Inoue said, happy to help.

I put up the force field, then shortly after called to Inoue, _'release,'_ and she, in return, unleashed her powers.

"Soten Kisshun, I reject!"

After nearly an hour, Shun'o thought that the regular 'form' I can take on would have enough charge. Surprisingly, Inoue wasn't tired at all. Shun'o hypothesized an explanation for why that is. According to him, it's basically because it takes my reiatsu to make the force field, as Inoue uses hers to charge my mock Soten Kisshun, then my reiatsu is what is powering Orihime's Soten Kisshun to heal herself; and it keeps going on in some sort of a cycle.

"Should we keep going?" Inoue asked.

Shun'o nodded and I activated Ry's powers, "Bring upon the weight of the world Juryoku."

Now in shikai, my reiatsu increased and in return it took a shorter amount of time to charge. The same was true with Ella's powers and when I activated my bankai. As soon as I finished charging the last bit, and Inoue called back her fairies, Ulquiorra opened the door to my room.

"Your friends have arrived to save you," he said to Inoue and myself.

Our faces took on the same expression or shock, and immediately I reached out to search for the reiatsu's of who is here in Las Noches.

The ryoka, all of them; Ichigo, Uryu, Chad. Even Renji and Byakuya came. The most surprising of all is Kenpachi, but not so surprisingly Rangiku and Hitsugaya.

"They are trash and will be eliminated soon."

I glared at Ulquiorra, I knew that they would be able to save us, three captains, two lieutenants and even the ryoka Ichigo is at level with a lieutenant, even a captain if he would activate bankai.

"I wouldn't be to sure about that," I said to no one in particular when he and Inoue left the room.

Alone again, I got up off the floor and moved to walk around my room, and to stretch my sore muscles out.

Walking past the couch once more, my heart constricted at the note lying on the white surface. But I promised myself I would be strong this time around, I've been lied to and hurt too many times now and it's getting old. So I might as well protect my heart, but really it's going to kill me to start acting more cold to everyone that I can still count as a friend.

'It's also going to take a lot of work Gracie, and you're probably going to still trust anyone,' Celest warned me.

But it really wasn't just the trust, because trust in people is good, it's just my judge in character that's going to change. I also need to stop wearing my heart on my sleeve, it's too easy for people to take.

I got up from the couch and folded the paper in half, then in half again and placed it in my pocket. I need to keep things like that to remind me of what happened so that I will truly learn from my past experiences.

Finally I walked over to make my bed, just so that I have something to do in the mean time.

Though it would figure that as soon as I start to make my bed, someone would interrupt me. Three knocks on the door and a very distinct accent to be specific.

"Gracie-chan, let me in~"

"Come on in Gin," I said with a sigh. I continued making my bed while he opened the door.

"So what's up?" I said turning to him when I finished.

"I needa talk wit ya," he said seriously while plopping down onto, and messing up, my newly made bed.

"Okay, so talk," I said in response and sat down on the bed, facing him.

"Da only reason you 'nd Hime were kidnapped is 'cause right now y'all 're both servin as distractions, jus lures so dat Soul Society has it's guard down nd will be unprepared when Aizen's finally ready to launch his attack on Karakura."

"How do I know that I can trust you? You may be lying about everything and will just dispose of me with Aizen later." I found it a little strange that he would just come out at tell me all this information. So either he's lying, which I doubt, or this blunt way of revealing information is just his way of letting me know that I can trust him. But that was just an act, I do trust him. He knows that I'm not under the effects of Aizen's zanpakuto and yet didn't tell Aizen because if he did tell Aizen I'm pretty sure that I would have been dead already.

"I know a few tings about yar situation, but now's not da time to tell ya-"

"Then tell me something else so that I know you really are still associated with Soul Society!" I whispered to him exasperatedly.

"Fine, fallow me." He said getting up.

Like a baby duckling, I followed behind him closely as we went down passages and hallways I would have never though were in Las Noches. But that just goes to show how true it is when people say that things are hidden in plain sight. We went through an underground tunnel that led to some sort of small shed, that is completely sealed off from being sensed, far off in the sands of Hueco Mundo.

"Is that a-" I started.

"Senkai gate? Ya," Gin interrupted.

"But how- why does it- where does it- what?" I asked confused.

Gin chuckled at me, "c'mon, I'll show ya."

He placed a hand on the gate and it opened immediately, he walked through and motioned for me to follow. Doing as such, it was a short walk until we came to another door, one which opened as soon and Gin stepped in front of it. Out of the gate stood Yamamoto.

"What the-?"

"Ah, Graciela, you are doing alright."

"Uh, yes sir?" So many questions ran through my head right now, I couldn't even make a normal statement sound like a statement; that even came out sounding like a question.

"Why did you bring her with you Ichimaru?" Yamamoto asked Gin.

"She wanted proof dat I'm not lyin to'er bout my 'sociations wit Soul Society."

"Smart girl," Yamamoto said while looking at me.

"Are ya workin on preparin da fake Karakura?" Gin broke the silence.

"Yes, in fact we are almost done. Has the relief team come to rescue Inoue Orihime?"

"Yup," Gin replied matter-of-factly.

But what Yamamoto said raised a red flag in my mind, "what about me? Can I just stay here now?"

Both men looked at me, "well," Gin began, "Aizen goin ta be needin ya fer his plan and yu're goin ta end up bein stuck wit him until he attempts ta make the Oken."

"Oken?" I asked, not familiar with the term.

"Or the Kings Key," Yamamoto added.

Oh yea, so Aizen's reason is still the same; that's good to a certain degree. Now all that's left is to plan how to destroy it, or at least Aizen, that way he won't be able to make it.

"Would you care to join me for tea? It wouldn't be a proper meeting without it, and we have a lot to discuss," Yamamoto motioned for us to come into the room.

* * *

Apparently they really needed to talk, and I just sat at the table with a cup of tea I didn't even touch, trying to absorb all this information. Even in the original universe I had no idea how far back this dispute began.

"Well anyway, I thin dis check-in is done wit. We shud bes be getting back ta Las Noches." Hallelujah!

"Alright, and Graciela," Yamamoto added, "good luck, we will see you soon."

I nodded to him, and as soon as we were back in the shed, Gin used his shunpo to get away as fast as he could, and I transported myself back onto my bed.

Quickly, I refocused on everyone's reiatsu. Chad's I could barely feel and unfortunately it's the same with Rukia and Renji. Ichigo's reiatsu constantly clashed with Grimmjow's, with Ulquiorra's not for behind; possibly observing the fight. Orihime's reiatsu was also very close to the fight between Grimmjow and Ichigo. Uryu's reiatsu was slowly being replenished so Inoue must be healing him. Byakuya and Kenpachi are fighting against another, stronger reiatsu; probably Yammy's although I'm not so familiar with his. Rangiku and Hitsugaya hid their reiatsu very well, and currently are somewhere in the level under my floor in Las Noches. It appears that their target of rescue is me.

It's shocking how much could be going on in only two hours since I last checked on them.

That revelation made me realize something else entirely, that I'm probably not going to get any sleep tonight.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

"Why hello Shiro, Matsumoto."

"Hinamori," Hitsugaya replied with much venom.

"What do you want?" Matsumoto asked through clenched teeth.

"I just thought that I would let you know where Gracie's room is," she replied nonchalantly, "it's on the third hallway to your left, up those two flights of stairs with the label '6' on them. When you reach the top of the stairs then go to the fourth door on the right."

"What's the catch?" Hitsugaya asked with much venom.

"You can't go up and see her until morning, it really would be a bad thing to interrupt her time with Gin-"

"What are you saying?" Matsumoto spat in anger.

"I'm not saying anything other then this simple fact: Gin and Gracie have really started to spend a lot of time with each other."

Hinamori left the two seething. Although it wasn't much more then the implantation of a false thought, she has done her job.

* * *

I don't think that the beginning of this chapter, of the last one have been as emotional as I would have liked them to be /:  
But I'm happy that I got this out early, even though it took basically 12 hours (most of my car drive back form Florida) to finish this.  
Anyway, review if you wish, message me and ask questions if you have any, I will answer all!

Wednesday August 11th 10:46pm.


	15. Chapter 15: Luminosity

A/N: I will have a poll in my profile about the battles to come. I'm not sure if I should put up most of the battle scenes, or just the ones that I thought were more interesting, or just the few that actually make sense with the story line. I would appreciate your votes on what to do, since I am not really sure.  
Fix You, by Coldplay is basically the song I was listening to when I wrote the more emotional parts of this chapter.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, and the lyrics belong to me.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

I was right when I figured sleep would not grace me last night. I was so focused on their reiatsu's, and the ones that my comrades were clashing against, that every time I actually started to doze off, any change from the pressures would wake me up. Apparently Celest kept the focus so that I would be aware. Sure, I thank Celest for her thought, but I also wish Celest would have given it up so that I could have gotten some sleep.

"Oii, Gracie-chan, ya don look so good." Gin said while walking into the room.

Last night, before Gin and myself parted ways at the shed, we arranged to meet this morning to talk about a few things relating to Aizen's plans.

"Well I have been up all night focusing my attention on their reiatsu," I paused to think for a second, "things don't look very good for them do they?"

Gin's face lost the usual eerie quality that his smile held, if possibly his smile took on the somber tension in the room. I sighed, "so it really is hopeless for everyone."

Right as I said that, I felt Ichigo's pressure collide and mix with someone else's.

_'Ichigo and... Grimmjow?'_

"Looks like yer 'spada is facing Ichigo."

"He's not my espada any longer, Gin. You of all people should know that," I spat at him.

"Ah, Gracie-chan," he started with an unusual soft tone to his voice, but it still sounded like he was whining, "in time I'll tell ya."

"How much time is that going to be?" I yelled at him; but regretted it not even three seconds later.

"Gin, I-"

_Knock, knock._

"Whoever you are, come in."

When Tosen walked into the room, Gin and I just looked to each other then back at Tosen. If possible, Gin's smile faltered the smallest bit to express his curiosity.

"Aizen-sama wishes to see you Graciela."

"Oh-okay.." I trailed off, already thinking the worst of the soon to be encounter.

Gin wished me luck, mentally of course, before I followed Tosen to the throne room.

The walk was silent and rushed. Normally I would feel the need to start up a conversation, but with Tosen? He would probably dismiss everything I said because of his strange lens of 'justice' which he always looks through.

'He would probably consider your every word biased,' Celest agreed with my thoughts.

Tosen opened the large doors for me, and nodded towards Aizen before he left, just as quickly as he came.

"Please, Gracie, sit at the primera's seat, we have a lot to talk about," Aizen ordered.

The way he gave his orders started to anger me, the facade that he is a nice guy still stays with him through those orders. Maybe he's just fooling himself, because we all know how evil and corrupt he really is.

Listening, I sat down at Starrk's seat. Looking up to him, I also realized that he has no intention of sitting on his 'throne'. He came up to the table, and pulled out the segunda's seat and sat down across from me. Now, I became nervous.

"I praise your act, but I do hope that you realize that the resistance was futile. I saw through your little ruse the second you kept your eyes shut too long."

I shot a confused glare his way, _'what is this man talking about?'_

"Oh, you are confused?" He gave a short laugh, "I have been aware that you were not under my swords ability.

My eyes shot open and I started to shake out of fear. _'Is this it? Am I going to die?'_

"Do not give me such a look, I will not be killing you anytime soon. You are far too valuable. But I do wish that you stay," he stared at my long and hard; then had the nerve to lie straight to my face, "I would hate to hurt those whom you love."

I snarled lightly under her breath, _'what is he getting at?'_

"Oh but that's right, the one you love; hurt you! How did that slap feel by the way? It stung, didn't it?"

Tears swelled up in the corner of my eyes, _'how on earth..'_

"How do you know of that?" I called in an angry whisper while glaring at the pristine white of the table.

He got up and walked over to me, "do you really believe that your beloved Toshiro would do such a thing to you?"

He placed his hand right where Hitsugaya slapped me, in the same spot, and put pressure onto it. Finally, the tears that swelled up rolled down my face, some landing on his hand.

"You're pathetic," he said with an evil smile, "get up."

His normal expression returned to him, but it seemed less guarded and more maniacal. He motioned for me to follow him to the other side of the table, I wiped my face, then followed; afraid of what would happen if I didn't oblige.

"You were focusing on Ichigo's and Grimmjow's fight before, no?" I glanced at him through my peripheral vision, he held a sadistic smirk on his face.

"Search for their reiatsu again," internally, I sighed at his antics.

Resuming the monitoring I was doing all night, all the reiatsu is the same. Grimmjow and Ichigo's though, it seems as if they have reached their strongest, the battle must-

"Yes their battle should be reaching finality," Aizen looked at me with superiority.

"If you let your self fall under my abilities this would have been unnecessary. Just remember that fact; it's all your fault."

Not a second after he finished his blame-game, I felt someone's reiatsu drop exponentially.

"G-Grimmjow!"

'Celest! Are you sure that he's... he's-"

"Don't bother asking yourself, for I can answer your questions-"

"I never sa-"

"Your facial expression says it all darling-"

"Don't call me!-"

"Grimmjow is dead."

The world around me seemed to stop, even time itself.

Tears flooded and threatened to spill over yet again.

My breathing hitched, I forced myself not to believe the truth.

I clenched and unclenched my hands into fists with my face twisted in agony.

_'N-no, that wasn't Grimmjow's reiatsu, was it?He- he's probably just hiding it. Yea he's-'_

"Grimmjow is dead and it's all your fault, all you-"

"Shut up you bastard!" I screamed at him.

The entirety of Las Noches seemed to have lost all sound, even the multiple battles that still ensued seem to have lulled. No one spoke, no one breathed, no one moved. Before I even knew what hit me, I was on the floor holding my cheek.

"You are lucky that I need you," he snarled, "other wise it would have been my sword that impaled you; not my hand that slapped you."

I couldn't even think straight and the tears over flooded my vision. _'G-Grimmjow? C'mon, Grimmjow, stop playing around.' _

No answer.

_'G-Grimmjow, you can't... Grimmjow.. GRIMMJOW!'_

But he never answered me.

I looked up to speak my mind to Aizen, but he already left me alone on the floor. Quickly, I transported myself back into my room.

Gin, who stayed in the room through the five minutes I was with Aizen, jumped slightly when I appeared on the bed. Before he could ask me anything, I lifted my head to him.

"It- it was all him! Toshiro.. never hit me.. and now he probably hates me for how I shunned him. Grimmjow, he-he never really wanted to do those things to me did he?"

When Gin didn't provide and answer, an answer I desperately need, I started to yell, "DID HE?"

Gin slowly shook his head; no.

"Oh- oh god.." I started to sob into my hands; very, very loudly.

Everything, the pain, the sadness, the frustration, the desperation above it all; it all welled up inside of me. I just couldn't take it any longer, '_I- I just can't_.'

I let out an agonizing scream because there was no other way to express my feelings. Not even all the tears, or words, in the world could suffice. I kept repeating the scream, over and over and over.

"It's all my fault, all me," I started to cry as well.

"IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" I added in desperation.

No matter what Celest, or Ry, or Ella tried; they couldn't get me to calm down. The tears were gone, my tear ducts dried up again. But I kept wailing, I sobbed, I screamed, I curled up into the fetal position; but nothing made me feel any better. It felt like part of me was missing, I felt so empty inside. So much was missing, and it pained me more than anything else in the world to know that none of this would have happened if I gave into Aizen.

I screamed again.

I became so desperate.

Another scream.

So lonely.

I gagged.

So depressed.

Agonizing sobs.

_'But who is there to put me back together?'_

Before I knew what washed over me, an unusual force pulled my voice from my throat and I started to sing. I never thought that I would be good, but seeing as I never tried other then a small hum; I never noticed the talent that I posses.

"Why do when we find joy,

something takes it all away?

An instant,

is all it takes.

Can that be grasped?

The fact,

the terrifying fact.

Is not a lie,

like out lives,

like ourselves.

It controls lives,

but why can't we?

It's my life to live,

my life to feel.

This illusion,

the grand illusion.

It's not me,

then what are we?

It's all a fake,

the control- lies not in ourselves,

but in the elements.

Of trust,

of hope,

of faith.

Shout,

scream,

sleep;

the feelings never leave.

Subconscious means forever,

that stupid infinity.

It controls lives,

but why can't we?

It's our lives to live,

our lives to feel.

This grand illusion,

is not me,

but what are we?

The company you bestow me,

just your presence.

Why are you gone?

When this is when,

I need you the most.

For granted,

you were never.

Loved,

you were always.

I'll meet you again,

somewhere in the life,

we both had hoped.

Can I control myself?

Badaaa, ba. Laaa la, oooh. Ooohee oo.

It controls lives,

but why can't we?

It's my life to live,

our lives to love.

This grand illusion,

this confusion,

it's not me.

But what are,

we?"

When I finished, the feelings were still there; but somehow I felt better. Like something was slowly patching up the smarting wounds.

_**'Wow.'**_

I smiled lightly, and found the strength to sit up and dry my face.

A sound pulled me from my reverie, my door opened.

* * *

_*~Narators Verse~*_

Little did Gracie know, but Gin escaped during her crying fit not for the reason she had assumed. Sure, he left out of respect as well, but it was mostly to save the sorry soul who got his ass whooped by the strawberry.

When he found the spot within the sands of Las Noches where Grimmjow lay; he was not surprised when he saw the man trying to get up and crawl away.

"Grimmjow, give it up. Yar coming with me anyway."

"Gin... put me down," Grimmjow attempted to sound tough and fierce like usual, but he was loosing life too quickly to do so.

"No can do. I told ya I'd help ya 'pologize to lil Gracie-chan. So we're going to the place where dis will 'come reality."

Gin quickly shunpo'd to the shed, not even caring if Aizen was watching or not.

Though Gin knew that Aizen wouldn't be, for now that Orihime Inoue is rescued, he can make his move on Karakura.

"Where are we.. going?" Grimmjow managed out before he lost his breath again.

"Soul Society!" Gin said happily after he stepped into the shed.

"I'm not-" Grimmjow started to protest. Then he thought things over. Grimmjow is a hunter by nature, so when he considers and objective, he tends to think of the objective like pray.

He nodded his head for Gin to continue to Soul Society; for it was the only way to corner his pray.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

"Who's there?" I called out to the slightly opened door.

A white haired man stepped out from it, and walked towards my bed. I had to blink at least a thousand times before I realized that it wasn't all in my head.

That Toshiro Hitsugaya really was standing in front of me.

"I never knew you could sing," he started.

"Neither could I," I countered.

"Listen, I-"

"Let me-"

We began at the same time. He gave a short laugh and I forced my tears back once again.

"How about we talk when we get back to Soul Society, hm?" He posed.

I started to nod my head, but then I remembered Aizen's threat.

"I-I can't," I admitted in defeat.

Toshiro's face took on a shocked expression, then his face hardened in some revelation he made.

"Oh," he said dejectedly, "I see."

"No it's not what you-"

"I'll see you soon enough. Good bye Graciela."

"Toshiro!" I called, but the door slammed shut in response to my voice.

'Graciela, stop. Just think for a second, he offered to clear things up with you in Soul Society, take him up on the offer. There is no need to get upset again.'

'Thanks Celest.'

Crisis adverted? For now, yes. But today left me emotionally drained, I realized finally.

Now that my comrades reiatsu's disappeared, they must have returned back to Soul Society, I allowed myself to fall into a restful and dream filled sleep.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

"Thank you all for coming here on such a short notice," Yamamoto soutaicho began, "but the search party was a success."

A few cheers were heard and most of the members of the Gotei 13 were smiling; happy to have an advantage over Aizen. Well, at least they thought they had the advantage.

"Wait," Renji pointed out, "where's Gracie?"

"She said that she couldn't come," Hitsugaya said with a colder edge then usual.

"But... wha?" Renji said confused.

"I can provide the answer ta that," Gin said.

He walked out from the room where Yamamoto, Gracie and himself had met the night before.

"What is that traitor doing here!" Multiple captains and vice-captains called.

"Silence!" Yamamoto yelled over all of them, "he never betrayed Soul Society. I asked him to gain Aizen's trust long ago thanks to a warning I received from.. someone."

Deep in Gracie's inner world, Celest sneezed.

_'I didn't know that we could sneeze!'_

'Neither did I..'

**'Alright, who's talking about ya?'**

"Ever since, he has been relaying all information back to me about Aizen's whereabouts, actions and plans. So please, Gin, if you would explain to them why Gracie couldn't come back."

"Gladly," he started, "Aizen threatened her ta hurt whoever she cares for or loves if she didn't stay wit 'im. When I revealed ta 'er what really happened, she started ta blame herself for well.. e'erthing."

"What do you mean by what really happened?" Yamamoto pushed since it looked like none of the other shinigami trusted his knowledge yet.

"I suppose y'all heard bout Toshiro o'er there slapping Gracie-chan?" Multiple shinigami nodded in response, "well Aizen's sword has another ability, thanks ta the hogyoku startin to form wit him and whatnot. But anyway, he gained da 'bility to take o'er other people's minds for a short period a time. Dat's what he did with Toshiro here, and he's really da one who hurt Gracie-chan."

Multiple gasps echoed the room, "but dat's not all. In Las Noches he got one of his 'spada to gain Gracie's trust so dat she would tell the 'spada 'er past and most a 'er secrets. After the information was told ta Aizen, he realized that Gracie-chan would only agree ta stay in Las Noches if she was emotionally unstable. So Aizen had the 'spada literally stab her in the back."

"What espada was it Gin?" Hitsugaya requested, '_I'll kill him,' _he added mentally.

Hyourinmaru added a hearty laugh.

"He's restin up in da fourth division right now-"

"WHAT!" half of the meeting room yelled. Quite some more drew their swords and a few even began to plan a battle strategy.

"Quiet!" Yamamoto, once again, silenced the group, "I have allowed the espada to stay here."

"What!" Ichigo interrupted.

Yamamoto silenced him with a glare, "I know that you all may not like it but Gin says he claims that he hates Aizen for ordering him to do all the things he has done, especially towards Graciela. Plus, he could prove helpful to the upcoming battle."

"Do I get to experiment on him?" Kurotsuchi Mayuri asked.

"No, but you may observe him under controlled tests."

Strangely, Kurotsuchi seemed satisfied with only being able to test Grimmjow. He must have something up his sleeve for the controlled environments.

"So which espada is it?" Kyoraku Shunsui asked.

"Would ya stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Grimmjow said from his relaxed position. He leaned his back on the door frame, hollow bone facing the group of shinigami.

"YOU!" Ichigo screamed form somewhere in the crowd.

Grimmjow smirked and began his march through the crowd to stand next to Gin.

"You really accepted to help out here?" Ichigo asked skeptically.

"It was this or die," Grimmjow said simply.

"Plus, he's got some amends ta make wit a certain someone~" Gin added teasingly.

Then Gin realized something he forgot to mention before, "speaking of da upcomin battle. He's attempting to make da Kings Key, to get the number of souls, ya'll have to make sure that nothing goes wrong with the fake Karakura. Even a few deaths of da people in town could start a chain o' events that would be real bad."

"Wait, you're not going to be helping us prepare?" Hitsugaya inquired.

"Nah, I still gotta go back ta Aizen, he still tinks I'm loyal ta him, so why ruin it now when I could get da chance ta destroy him and the hogyoku during da battle? Cya!"

Gin left Grimmjow standing alone in the crowd of shinigami.

Grimmjow decided to answer the questions showing on their faces, "I was half dead when Gin started to bring me here. No way would I ever come here willingly."

He elicited the reactions he wanted to get from all the shinigami present. Well, except for one.

"Then why are you still here?" Yachiru asked.

"I-," Grimmjow wanted to make his answer as cryptic as he could, "I have a debt to pay."

He stated simply, then calmly walked out.

* * *

Tuesday August 17th 5:31 am.


	16. Chapter 16: Light Year

A/N: What I have changed includes: How Gracie died, some of Ry's poem, there's more foreshadowing of the 'deja vu'/ gut feeling, why Ichigo and gang showed up in seireitei, big changes in the reason that the sequence of the original universe changed (butterfly effect here), there's a little add on when Toshiro and Matsumoto are in Las Noches looking for Gracie.  
Most of these battles (dialogue) are taken straight from the manga so..  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the dialogue to the fight scenes or the outcomes of those battles. I do not own Bleach in general.

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

"Captain Kurotsuchi," Hitsugaya called out of breath. He managed to catch Kurotsuchi Mayuri right before he left the twelfth division.

"Ah, Hitsugaya Taicho, did you manage to place the tracker?"

"About that, it's not on her person, but in the room that she's been in. Would it still work?"

"Let's find out," Kurotsuchi lead Hitsugaya to a rather large computer screen.

Crazily, he typed at speeds Hitsugaya couldn't keep up with. The screen flashed different documents, folders, research data, charts and photos. With each press of the keys and click of the mouse, more and more popped up until an encrypted file encompassed the whole screen.

Kurotsuchi typed in the necessary pass code to get to the tracking devices he had sitting in his lab, but more specifically to the one in Gracie's room.

"It's not reading her reiraku. Where exactly did you place the tracker?"

"On the door knob so if she touches-" the black screen began to light up.

"Ah, okay. I believe that the tracker has made contact with her. It should be able to read it now."

This 'tracker' is a device that Kurotsuchi has been developing. What it does, is once on a person, it reads the reiraku and uses the persons reiatsu to send a signal via the device to Kurotsuchi's lab. It isn't personalized to tell the slight difference in reiraku from person to person, but it's enough to tell if the target is a human, shinigami, or arrancar. In Ichigo's case, the screen would light up red; signaling that the transmissions have started.

When the screen lit up, however, the two Captains were stunned into silence. The two looked back and forth at each other, then to the screen, with perplexed scowls on their faces. How could they explain this?

Then, a thought popped into their heads; seemingly at the same time.

"Elemental."

The two shunpo'd out of the room and to the senkai gate, but left the program running to keep track of Gracie's, golden, reiraku.

* * *

_*~Graceful Melody~*_

"Gin, let go of me. You're making me very nervous and I'm already to-"

"Gracie-chan, stop. As much as it'll pain us we gotta do this. Jus remember, Ichigo is our last hope; so do whatcha can to help him when yar with Aizen."

"What do you mean when I am with Aizen?"

"Graciela, so nice of you to finally show up."

I looked around to take in my surroundings, it was just the four shinigami's and the top three espada; apparently I held up their departure.

'I wouldn't want them to be late, now would I?' I thought with sarcastic sweetness.

Tosen, Momo and Aizen joined myself and Gin behind the espada; who jumped through the garganta one after the other. When I was finally out, I realized that I was the last one and that the others were at least two yards below me. When I moved to be with the rest of them, Gin shot me a look that said, 'stay where you are.'

I was confused over the fact I was to stay by the, now closing, garganta. Another question sped through my mind:_ '_why did he make me wear this and what's up with all these outfit changes!'

Yes, I have another change of clothing. This time, Aizen forced me to wear a, albeit gorgeous, flowing, white gown.* It was very Greco-Roman like and billowed out behind my in very light waves. The dress, which would have dragged around my feet if I was walking on a normal floor, fell lower than the mentioned appendages by a few inches. In all, it gave me the appearance and somewhat the attitude, of a Roman goddess; exactly as Aizen wanted it to be.

But the white dress conveyed not only the superiority that Aizen has, but since it is all white; it depicted the side I would, forcibly, be on in this war. Thankfully, no one doubted that fact.

When Gin turned his head, most -if not all- of the soul reapers turned their heads incase a new threat was approaching. When they caught sight of me, most were stunned at my appearance. Although the others, like Yamamoto, already knew my purpose and greeted me with a slight nod.

I greeted them back with a small smile and a blush, one that appeared thanks to the feeling of people stares all over my body. I felt entirely exposed in front of everyone, yet aggravated at the prideful smirk that Aizen's face held; as if I was his creation, his perfect weapon.

When the tension became nearly unbearable, Yamamoto spoke up, "looks like we made it in time."

But in Aizen's mind, he was blaming me for nearly making them 'late' and I didn't even need to read it to know that.

**'Tch. He needs to grow up,' **I deadpanned at Ella's comment.

"In time? Where on Earth do you have the proof to say such a thing? I know what we have here is not Karakura town, but it would not be a threat to me at all."

Starrk, Baraggan and Harribel stepped forward from the group, along with their individual fracción. Aizen began to talk again, but I tuned him out and began to focus on the reiatsu around me, what he has to say isn't really important -to me- anyway. At least this way I'll be able to know when I would be of help to any of my comrades. Besides, I can also issue them a possible warning; but then again they are the strongest members of the Gotei 13.. they most likely wont need my help to begin with.

An enormous amount of reiatsu burst from the person, who to myself, always had their reiatsu suppressed the best; Captain Commander Yamamoto.

"Incinerate all creations, Ryuujin Jakka."

Out of the three head espada, Starrk was the only one to react, well, allow his face to display the evident shock the three were all feeling. The others merely held their unimpressed gazes. I began to seethe, they have no idea of what Yamamoto is capable of; but yet they immediately dismiss him!

The way I was raised, it was always proper to give someone a chance before judging; but then again, that could also be the reason as to why I have been betrayed too often. No, no, no. I will not blame my parents-

"Jokaku enjou, at least for a little while."

Aizen, Tosen, Gin and Momo were immediately concealed within the forest of flames once Yamamoto issued his command. I tapped into Gin's mind real quick to see what Aizen has to say.

_'There is no plan. This battle will be over long before we'll ever need to lift a finger. That's all there is to it.'  
__  
_'Ass!' I said into Gin's mind; on accident.

'_Gracie-chan wouldya quit screamin in mah head!'_

'Sorry Gin!'

I looked though my eyes at the scene unfolding below me with and unchanging, stoic, gaze. With a snap of his fingers Baraggan's fracción lifted some sort of material and hundreds of bones flew behind Baraggan. When they were all assembled, the bones acted as a kind of throne. I seethed at his arrogance, I still have no clue how all these espada could act so imperious in the face of their demise. Then again, Aizen is the one who brought them all together…

Baraggan, over Starrk and Lilynette's fighting, spoke his correct theory on how Karakura town had managed to be switched for the fake one. Throughout his whole rant, I could not get the feeling that something is missing out of my gut. Knowing how that gut feeling has played out before; something is definitely up.

Then I realized that the head of bright orange hair, the quincy, the other ryoka and Inoue are missing. What exactly is happening for Ichigo to be missing from the battle that he is going to win for Soul Society? But the answer came to me when I looked into the not yet closed, garganta behind me.

Ulquiorra always showed possession over Inoue, with Ichigo coming to save Inoue earlier… uh-oh. They must be fighting over her.

_'Didn't Ichigo and Ulquiorra fight earlier?'_

'That was before Ichigo and.. Grimmjow's fight.'

**'I guess there was a lull in the fighting when you fell asleep before.'**

**'**I was only out for twenty minutes! The only thing I remember is Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Kenpachi and Byakuya fighting Yammy, and I wouldn't exactly call that a lull in fighting.'

Before either of us could finish out conversations, four other hollows appeared out of gargantas; which were summoned by Baraggan. Immediately after, they sped towards the pillars, but right before they could have made contact with the pillars; they were destroyed.

Shuuhei, Kira, Yumichika and Ikkaku were stationed by the pillars to protect them; definitely capable fighters. But of course, Baraggan did not look impressed.

"Only four fighters?"

I glared daggers at him from my unmoving position. As much as I want to go help them, I know that I'll be of more use much later in the war.

Baraggan sent over four of his fracción to counter our four pillar keepers. The eight all began their battles, some were screaming; pointlessly might I add, while the others wanted to end the fights as quick as they possibly could go.

Tears began forming in my eyes at the thoughts of not being able to fight while my friends were fighting this war. I was supposed to help them! Now I won't be there and surely they will think that I have betrayed them.

When Kira's words reached my mind, I let the tears flow freely.

"War is full of despair, It dark, dreadful, it is a thing of sorrow and gloom."

"That doesn't even begin to brush on how I feel right now," I mumbled under my breath.

"Now then, it's finally time for the real battle."

I snapped my attention back to my comrades below, not even bothering to fight the tears that streamed down my cheeks in waves any longer.

With an air of intensity, Yamamoto yelled, "get them!"

With resolve and determination in all of the soul reapers eyes, Yamamoto continued, "we must risk our lives to defeat them here! Do not let them pass, even if your flesh is torn from your bones! We must not let them set foot in Soul Society!"

_'Good luck everyone!'_ I couldn't help it; I needed to make sure they knew I was still rooting for them.

I knew what would be coming from the other battles so I focused the rest of my attention on Hitsugaya and Matsumoto; I needed to know if they would be alright without my help this time around. I just don't know what I would do if either one of them got fatally in-

_'Don't worry about me Graciela, save your energy for later. We are all depending on your to destroy the hogyoku.'_

_'Hitsugaya!'_

* * *

_*~Narrators Verse~*_

"Captain, I'll take these three, you take the espada."

"Can you do it?"

"Yes," Matsumoto assured.

"...All right. I'll leave them to you."

Hitsugaya Toshiro moved towards his opponent after his exchange of words with Gracie; who now was taking her time to calm down. For Hitsugaya is right, she must save her energy for later and she knows that letting her emotions go, like so, always leaves her drained.

Tia Harribel unsheathed her sword and swung it around in a fast circle; obviously ready for battle. After a surge of quick, yet planned attacks and even faster blocks; Hitsugaya ad Harribel broke apart.

"Before, I felt a disturbance in your spiritual energy."

"What're you talking about?"

"What happened?" Harribel pushed farther.

"Hell if I know."

After the exchange of simple words, well, lies for Hitsugaya, the two went back at it. A type of pattern picked up between the two, near evenly matched, fighters. Sonído, swing, retreat and try again, or flash step, block, swing, retreat and try again. The monotonous pattern was uninterrupted for minutes on end; until a rapid drop of spiritual pressure caused Hitsugaya to be distracted for a mere second; allowing Harribel to land a small, but smarting, cut on Hitsugaya's left forearm.

Graciela threw her hands over her mouth in attempt to suppress the yells she wanted to cry out. Her tears returned and the momentary calm that washed over her; now is long forgotten.

'So-soten-'

'Graciela! You mustn't! Save that until afterwards! If you heal her now, she will fight again and end up with more injuries anyway!'

'But if I don't do anything… what if she dies!'

_'Kira is over there, trying to heal her. You have no part in this stage of the war Gracie-'_

**'We'll do what we can to keep you calm, just don't focus on the battles any longer.'**

'Ella is right and when it's time for you to fight; we'll let you leave this world.'

_'For now though, you're staying in here; with us.'_

The three put Gracie in a kind of coma, but her attention was fixed on the battles below; as if she was conscious enough to focus. In reality the three sought to comfort and calm Gracie, for no one could afford for her distraction later in the battle.

But that knowledge put a larger stress on Gracie, to know that even though Ichigo is their last hope; she is the one that everyone is relying on. Sure, she knew that Ichigo would be able to defeat Aizen; but just the fact that they need her to destroy the hogyoku, the power source that not even its creator could destroy; unnerved her beyond normal comprehension.

"It seems that your lieutenant could not handle my fracción," Harribel observed.

"Do not speak like you know Matsumoto's powers," Hitsugaya defended; angrily.

They continued their fighting, really resumed the tedious pattern, but with the rapidly fluctuating reiatsu coming from Harribel's fracción, this time around; she is the one distracted. Hitsugaya managed to hit her a few times, but thanks to the hierro Harribel possesses, the attacks left nothing on her skin.

When the three fracción's spiritual energy died out all together, Tia Harribel backed away from Hitsugaya.

"Apacci, Sun-Sun, Mila-Rose; you have fought well."  
At the same time, the espada lifted her shirt ever slightly, to reveal her rank. The number three laid tattooed on the inner part of her breast; but it was visible enough for Hitsugaya to see it perfectly.

Hitsugaya allowed a shocked look to cross his face momentarily before he commented on the number, "power such as yours, and you are still only the third..."

"Power such as mine?" Harribel began, "I have no recollection of showing you the extent of my powers just yet, brat."

Harribel unzipped her jacket so that her hollow bone was visible, it covered the bottom half of her face, part of her neck, and extends down to cover the very top of her breasts; a lot like the way her vest was acting as a top.

The intensity in their gazes increased as exponentially as the tension between the two individuals. Without warning, Hitsugaya released his bankai.

"Bankai! Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

The ice encroached over Hitsugaya's back and wrapped around the very base of his shoulders and under his arms. With amazing speed, Harribel sped towards Hitsugaya and swung down upon him. Ice was shattered and spewed out from the form he takes in bankai and fell around the two.

"This is a captain's strength?" Harribel asked after her attack broke the ice off of Hitsugaya's bankai.  
"I'll put an end to this," she continued, "attack!"

Hitsugaya was sent skidding backwards a few feet, when he regained his fighting posture; Harribel was poised to attack again.

"Projectile azule," no sooner then the swing of Harribel's sword did a blue wave of energy, in the form of said sword, speed towards Hitsugaya.

"Is that the best you can do? This is a captain's strength?" She repeated yet again, "Apacci and the others lost to this?"

Hitsugaya, who was bleeding from the forehead, looked up at Harribel in anticipation.

"I'll finish this now, attack! Tiburón," water engulfed Harribel for a short period of time, it flew out around her in a shape that strongly resembled a heart.* At least it retained that shape until the water wrapped fully around Harribel like a cocoon.

Hitsugaya's expression looked nothing less than shocked. Albeit, it could only be because their weapons are more alike than he must have though, hers water and his ice.

_'That's her resurrección? She hasn't changed as much outwardly as I expected... but it would be fatal to underestimate her,'_ Hitsugaya thought.

The most prominent change is that her sword grew to around the size of her body and distinctly resembled the tooth of a shark.

Before Hitsugaya could even comprehend, his right shoulder along with his arm, was severed from the rest of his body. His spiritual pressure fluctuated wildly for a moment, but that was enough to unsettle Gracie.

'Celest? Let me look for a moment.. I just want – need- to see what's going on out there!' She couldn't handle it any more, with all the pressure around her, it was no help to her sanity to have her eyes closed. Thanks to her wild imagination, each time any pressure dipped even a little, she assumed the worst and through her imagination's eye; she saw what she thought was going on as a projection on her closed eyelids.

No answer was heard from Celest, not even Ry or Ella.

'Really guys? This is no time to give me the cold shoulder! Hel-... LET ME SEE WHAT'S GOING ON!' Gracie raged.

Still, no answer. But the reiatsu of the person who made her freak out, stopped fluctuating. A smug kind of attitude radiated through her inner world; as if her three spirits were telling her they were right all along.

"What the..?" Hitsugaya spoke his shock out loud while staring where his arm, and part of his side, used to be.

"You are no match for me. One blow from the shark and the ice dragon sinks to the sea."

As if on queue, the dismembered appendage of the 'ice dragon' hit the rubble meters below where Hitsugaya and Harribel are fighting. A satisfying, to Harribel, thump was heard from the fall and Harribel deemed her fight with Hitsugaya over.

She turned her attention to Yamamoto, "you're next. I'll make you pay for taking their lives."

Yamamoto looked condescendingly at the busty woman and before she could fully comprehend; a sword was flying towards her face. Unfortunately for Hitsugaya, her instinct kicked in at the last possible second and ducked below the blow destined to decapitate her.

With anger in her blue eyes, she looked back at the attacker himself and found Hitsugaya to be perfectly fine.

Instinct again, aided with muscle memory, swung Harribel's sword towards Hitsugaya; who in return dodged.

"What's going on?" Harribel couldn't help but question.

"I didn't think your release would make you that much faster and stronger so quickly. Good thing I was prepared just in case."

Behind Harribel, the dismembered body of Hitsugaya cracked and broke apart, revealing it to be just ice.

"I can only use this once though," Hitsugaya continued, "So I'd wanted to hold off as I could... Don't underestimate our strength."

Attacks were flying from the two left and right at higher speeds than before. A blast of water from Harribel, however, was always frozen by Hitsugaya with nearly no effort. The ice would then shatter and clatter to the ground as no more than rubble to add to the already large pile.

"Don't underestimate us," Hitsugaya began again, "you must've figured it our by now. For someone like me who uses an ice-type zanpakuto, all the water around me is merely a weapon; even if that water is your weapon. Simply having control over water, will never be enough to reach me."

"Oh it will," Harribel countered, "and it can reach you anytime at all. If you want to see how, then I'll show you. Come."

"You think I'll fall for your boast and help close the distance between us? That's why I keep saying you're underestimating us!" Hitsugaya formed an ice dragon and sent it flying towards Harribel, yet again.

"You're the one underestimating me," Harribel replied with.

"Burning current," a large amount of water shot out towards Hitsugaya as if it was an arrow launched off a hunters bow.  
"Whenever you arrive at the idea that my water will become your weapon, you must also realize that the opposite may be possible as well. That is the iron law of battle."  
With the slight move of her sword and the command, "cutting waterfall," the torrent of water descended upon Hitsugaya like a tsunami's wave.

"'If one's own attack can become the enemies weapon, then the opposite is true as well,' eh?" Hitsugaya began once he parted the wave of water with his sword like the Red Sea, "I'm well aware of that, I don't need you to lecture me about that. Guncho Tsurara!"

Numerous ice daggers formed and with the swing of his sword sped towards Harribel, but she did not allow the smallest look of worry to cross her features.

"..Any attack with have the same results. Hirviendo," within seconds the, former, ice daggers boiled into nothing.

Sensing something behind her, Harribel turned her head to see the wave of ice come off of Hitsugaya's sword; aimed right at her. But Harribel used her sword to destroy the ice that nearly encased her.

"But I'll tell you one thing as a thanks for your little lecture, one faces the most danger during one's best attack. That is also one of the rules of battle."

"La gota," and a spiraling projectile was sent towards Hitsugaya; which he dodged.

After a short chase over a new set of buildings, Harribel unleashed a cero.

"Tch, that was a weak attack," says the guy whose left ice wing was cut in half, "...but I'm not surprised. You're waiting for the same thing aren't you? Waiting for the battlefield to be filled with condensation so you can finish me off in one blow."

A short paused filled the air between them with tension (although I bet they both wished for a 100% humidity level) "...oh well," Hitsugaya broke the silence, "we'll never get anywhere if we are both after the same thing. I've never tried this in bankai mode, but there's a first time for everything."

"What are you talking about?" Harribel questioned.

"The thing is, I don't have to wait for water Hyourinmaru is the most powerful of ice-based attacks."

A spark of either recognition, or shock, passed over Harribel's face and her eyes widened in anticipation.

"All water is my weapon. All of heaven, is under my command. Hyoten Hyakkaso."

"What? What is that?" Harribel called in confusion while looking up to the, now darkening, sky.

"Tenso jurin is one of Hyourinmaru's basic powers... and the strongest. My powers aren't yet fully mature, I'm aware of that. So I didn't want to use it in bankai mode. I wasn't sure, if I could control it. But the ice behind me is about half gone so I don't think I need to worry about that any more. What is your name espada?"

"Tercera espada, Tia Harribel."

"I am captain of the 10th division, Hitsugaya Toshiro. ...Here I come."

On that queue a gaping circle opened up, in the layer of clouds that formed, above Hitsugaya as he called, "Hyoten Hyakkaso," for the second time.

Snow began to pool out of the hole in the sky and Harribel did not look pleased one bit. To counter, she began to call, "hir-" but was cut off when flakes began to fall on her sword and all around her. Where ever the flakes of ice landed on her skin; ice flowers bloomed in its wake.

"Wha...? What the hell?" Tia Harribel screamed in aggravation.

"Hyoten Hyakkaso," Hitsugaya began to explain, "whomever touches the snow instantly freezes like a flower."

Quickly, more and more snow pile on Harribel and more flowers emerged. But Hitsugaya was not done with his explanation just yet, "when the last of the flower's 100 petals fall, your life will be over."

Where Harribel formerly stood, a looming tower of ice flowers lay with the tercera espada within it. Slowly; the petals of the flowers began to fall off of Hitsugaya's attack.

"Sorry, guess you won't be able to avenge your underlings," Hitsugaya added in mock concern.

He turned away from her for a few moments, but no sooner than he was about to take permanent leave; Harribel thrust her swords out of her elegant ice-flower coffin.

As surprised as Hitsugaya looked, he already began to plan another attack, another strategy; because really, this fight was dragging on far too slowly.

After the distraction of Wonderweiss's, annoying, call and the vizards attacking the gillians; Tia Harribel fully broke loose from Hitsugaya's attack. Immediately, Harribel went to attack Hitsugaya, to finish what they started but Lisa and Hiyori blocked the attack and parried with one of their own.

"Looks like there's no time.. to worry about whether you're friend or foe."

"Same here," Hiyori began, "I don't want to be helping you out shinigami! But this isn't the time for that now."

"She's right. You don't need a special reason for two groups of strangers to join forces."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. That's all the reason we need," Lisa finished for Hiyori and Hachi.

"Hey, I want to ask you something-"

"Keep it short, and I'm not gonna tell you any more about us," Hiyori interrupted Hitsugaya.

"That's fine, I just have a favor. I hate to ask this of a complete stranger but.. Can you take care of these guys? I want to fight Aizen."

Those words, like all the others, filtered trough Gracie's ears. But something about them pushed her too far, more of less; really the person who spoke them. Even Celest couldn't control her from 'waking up' from the strong hold that she put on Gracie's conscious.

"Hit-" but thankfully she stopped herself before anyone noticed who began to talk.

'Hitsugaya! This isn't how it's supposed to go!'

'Yea well, you aren't exactly able to help so I'm going to do this myself.'

'But-'

He closed her voice out of his mind to really focus on what Hiyori was saying.

"Huh? Are you crazy? What are you talking about? WE came here to kill him too! Besides, you were having trouble with these guys before we got here. How do you think you're gonna take on Aizen?"

'Oh please, please, let that knock some sense into Hitsugaya,' Gracie thought.

"Y-you're right. I guess I panicked... just forget it."  
But Lisa didn't sound so convinced.

'Jeeze Hitsugaya, you nearly gave me a heart attack!' But Gracie' words went ignored._  
_  
"Forget it? That's ALL you have to say?" Hiyori began to rant, "aren't you even gonna apologize of anything?"

"S-sorry..."

"HUH! I can't hear you. Look at me!" What are you doing dressed as a captain at your age anyway? Are you really a captain? I thought you were just playing dress up! I get it! Let me guess! You cheated somehow to get made a captain, so that's why you're panicking now! Otherwise you'd never have said something so stupid, right, baldy?"

Gracie began to laugh, as silently as possible, at Hiyori's words. Even Ella and Ry joined in too.  
_  
'Bu-but he's -bahahaa- he's not even bald!'_

Hiyori continued, "baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy, baldy! … SHORTY!"

**'Uh-oh..'**

But Ry still laughed and Gracie did her best to suppress her's.

Hitsugaya, who gained a dark shadow over his eyes, reached up and grabbed Hiyori by her collar.

"YOU'RE SHORTER THAN ME!"

That got Ella and Gracie laughing again.

"Wha? Who do you think you are, brat? You trying to pick a fight? If that's what you want, just come out and say so!"

"You're the one was was picking a fight! I apologized, but that wasn't enough for you!" Hitsugaya argued back.

Lisa, tired of their childish antics, kicked off and sped away from the two.

When Hiyori noticed, "Oh! Wait up Lisa!"

Swinging her blade down on Harribel's, she was blocked. Very much resembling the way Hitsugaya and Harribel fought, Lisa and the latter attacked in just the same way. That is, until, Lisa released her sword.

"Crush, Haguro Tonbo."

"Chop, Cubikiri Orochi," Hiyori joined in.

Hitsugaya joined in on the attack, but they only managed to get in one combined hit before Aizen came over.

"Ai...zen."

The aforementioned then slashed Harribel across the stomach.

'What?' Gracie yelled in her head.  
Sure, Harribel may be her enemy, but she couldn't imagine anyone being killed off like that.

"Wha?" Harribel struggled to get out.

"I'm done with you."

'Heartless bastard.'

"It appears you're not strong enough to fight for me. I never thought that will all the trouble I went through gathering you espadas, that I alone would be more powerful than the lot of you."

"Aizen!" With one last burst of power and anger; Harribel stabbed Aizen through the chest.

He didn't even flinch, "what a pain."

The illusion of Aizen cracked and he appeared behind Harribel and stabbed her where a heart ought to be.  
"I will never let you raise your sword to me again."  
With that he flung Harribel off the end of his sword.

Of the people who watched that scene unfold, their faces were a mix of utter shock and well, WTF looks.

"Come on, lets get started. Gotei 13 and.. you shoddy arrancar wannabes."

* * *

*but it's white and longer: http:/ www. bluefly. com/ Marc–Bouwer–GlamIt–steel–silk–rosette–detail–halter–ring–gown/sale–cat20112/303778101/detail. fly?cm_mmc=CJ-_-1909792-_-2178999-_-Marc+Bouwer+GlamIt%21+steel+silk+rosette+detail+halter+ring+gown&referer=cjunction_2178999_10436858_211715987  
just no spaces..

*it actually kind of looks like the roxy symbol..  
SORRYSORRYSORRYSORRY.

It's verrrrry late and bleh, I know that this must have been insufferably boring. /:

I can say, though, the next chapter isn't going to continue the fighting; it's going to be just Gracie and.. well you'll see.  
The next fight scene wont come until the final battle but, considering how long it took to get this out and that school starts next week for me, it will definitely take a while to come out.

But this, nor any of my other stories, will be going on hiatus.

Completed: Thursday 1:23 pm September 2, 2010


End file.
